Apple may be prepared to track when Google promotes Chrome or Google apps for users to search in Safari, and how users react to those promotions. Here are the details.
Since iOS 27.2 beta 2, Apple has been testing code in Safari that can detect when Google displays ads promoting Chrome or Google apps on its search pages, as well as whether users interact with those promotions.
While this doesn’t mean Apple will ship this telemetry feature when iOS 27.2 officially launches, it does suggest that Apple is at least experimenting with ways to measure how often Google promotes its own apps to Safari users and how those users respond.
It is currently unclear why Apple is testing such a feature. However, the new code comes amid scrutiny of competition rules between Safari and rival browsers, including how users are steered towards alternatives like Chrome.
In England, for example, Google has Refer to his efforts specifically To promote Chrome to iPhone users as evidence that it continues to compete with Safari, while regulators are examining whether the company’s search agreement reduces their incentive to compete in browsers.
In the European Union, on the other hand, Apple is still subject to the provisions of the Digital Markets Act regarding browser options and defaults, with the European Commission previously investigating whether its Safari options screen complies with those rules.
Therefore, whether Apple intends to collect and use this information for its own benefit or as part of an effort to address the increased regulatory scrutiny of browser competition remains to be seen.
What the code establishes is that Apple has created Safari to verify and log those interactions, and the system works like this: Safari injects. .js The script enters Google’s homepage and search results pages, which look for visible banners or other Google page elements intended to encourage users to open or install Chrome or Google apps.
Safari then looks for links related to any app, including custom URL schemes and App Store IDs. If it detects a promotion, it can record certain events, including whether the banner was displayed, whether the user signed in to a Google account, and whether the user interacted with the promotion. This allows Apple to classify the interaction as accepted or closed and record that result.
Since the iOS 27.2 beta 3 and Safari 27.2 beta release notes, Apple has not documented the feature publicly.
