Google’s iOS search deal may account for 5% of Apple’s operating profits

It’s been known for a while that Google pays Apple a ton of money to be the default search provider in Safari on iOS. Court documents had revealed the search giant paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 for the privilege, but now that fee could be even higher, reports CNBC. U.S. research and brokerage firm Bernstein told the network that it’s likely Google may pay Apple as much as $3 billion throughout 2017 to retain its default search status on iOS devices. If so, the licensing fees are virtually all profit on Apple’s part, which means Google could be directly responsible for 5% of Apple’s operating profits.