When you conduct a search using Apple’s Safari browser, for example, on an iPhone, Google is more likely to return the results.

Although you may instruct Safari to use another search engine, most users actually stick with Google by default.

As you may know, Google pays Apple huge sums of money annually for that prominent positioning. You may be surprised to learn exactly how much.

According to US government reports, Google was paying Apple more than $1 billion per month by May 2021 and up to $20 billion in total in 2022—all for the honor of serving as Apple’s main search engine.

These astounding numbers, which were only made public this week, are from a significant antitrust case against Google that is currently nearing its conclusion. They draw attention to the huge stakes involved in a case that has the potential to transform the way millions of Americans look up information online and, some believe, alter the fierce competition for supremacy in artificial intelligence.

In an effort to convince a federal judge that Google unlawfully monopolized the online search business through payments similar to those it makes to Apple, the Justice Department launched its last offensive against Google’s hegemony on search engines on Thursday. The case was started during the Trump administration.