APPLE is reportedly developing a covert telemetry feature in Safari that would track whether Google promotes Chrome or the Google App to iPhone users while they browse Google pages in Safari. The mechanism, described from iOS 27.2 Beta 2/3 source code glimpses, would inject a JavaScript snippet into pages to detect visible promotional banners and then log a sequence of events.
The logs would note whether a promo link rendered, whether the user was signed into a Google account, and crucially whether the user clicked, installed, or dismissed the offer. The overarching aim, according to the piece, is to give Apple a precise read on Google’s success in converting users away from Apple’s domain, effectively reverse-monitoring the advertising dynamic.
Regulatory context is central to the framing. In the UK, the CMA is examining whether Apple’s default Google search engine arrangement dampens competition in the browser market. In the EU, the DMA has already forced Apple to present a browser-choice screen, and the European Commission continues to scrutinise the company’s practices.
The article suggests that Apple’s new telemetry would supply objective “defensive data” that could be used to counter antitrust claims by regulators by showing Google’s ability to promote Chrome on iOS without hindrance, while quantifying conversion rates. The piece notes Apple’s tradition of privacy emphasis via Safari’s ITP, contrasting that stance with this pivot to targeted telemetry intended to support legal and regulatory positioning.