Apple’s relationship with Google as a search partner takes on fresh meaning with the introduction of visual search, or “Visual Intelligence,” as the iPhone maker called it Monday at its “It’s Glowtime” event. Alphabet is already paying Apple more or less $20 billion per year to make Google the default search engine in Safari. Now, iPhone 16 users will be able to access Google Search — and its visual search capabilities — with a tap of the device’s fresh Camera Control button.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT app, which is becoming available via Siri, was also showcased as a third-party partner solution in a demo where you could point your phone’s camera at your class notes and get facilitate understanding a concept or problem with a single tap.
With Camera Control, Apple has explained how users can quickly take a photo or record a video, as well as how they’ll be able to swipe the button to frame the shot and adjust options like zoom, exposure, or depth of field in the fresh camera preview. However, the button also gives iPhone 16 users access to Apple’s fresh “visual intelligence” search feature, which is where the partnership with Google comes in.
When Camera Control was first revealed on the iPhone 16, it seemed like Apple’s jargon for “shutter button,” but as the event progressed, Apple made it clear that there’s more you can do with this fresh hardware feature. With Visual Intelligence, it’s more than just an straightforward way to learn about what’s in your camera’s field of view; you now also have another way to access third-party services without having to launch standalone apps.
It is basically a visual search function, similar to Google Lens Or Pinterest lensApple described Visual Intelligence as a way to instantly understand everything you see. In several examples, Apple showed how you can click the Camera Control button to see information about a restaurant you saw while you were in town, or how you can exploit the feature to identify the breed of dog you saw on a walk. The feature can also turn an event poster tacked to a wall into a calendar entry with all the details.
Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, casually mentioned that the feature could also be used to access Google search.
“Camera Control is also your gateway to third-party tools, so you can very quickly and easily tap into their expertise in a given area. So if you come across a bike that looks exactly like the one you’re looking for, just tap to Google to find out where you can buy something similar,” he said.
The demo showed someone tapping the Camera Control button while pointing their iPhone at a bike, then browsing a range of similar options available for purchase in a pop-up overlaid on the camera view. Then, after a grid of photos and descriptions of matching bikes, a smaller on-screen button appeared that said “More results from Google,” indicating that they could continue their Google search with another tap.
What Apple didn’t explain is how or when pressing the Camera Control button will know to go to a third-party partner for an answer, rather than a built-in Apple service — like Apple Maps, which was shown in the restaurant demo. The company also didn’t fully explain how users will be able to control or configure the feature. Instead, Federighi said, somewhat vaguely, “Of course, you always have control over when third-party tools are used.”
When asked for comment, a Google spokesperson said the company had nothing to say about its partnership at this stage. Apple did not respond to a request for comment. However, it is understood that the agreement is part of an existing relationship between the companies and does not involve Google’s Gemini AI.
What’s intriguing about this feature is that it presents a fresh paradigm for interacting with software and services beyond what Apple ships with the iPhone. And it comes at a time when the concept of the App Store was starting to feel old-fashioned.
AI technology enables users to ask questions, perform productivity tasks, be original with images and videos, and more. These are things that consumers used to do in apps, but now they can do them through a fresh interface for talking and texting with an AI assistant.
Rather than rushing to create its own competitor to ChatGPT, Apple is positioning itself as a platform to reach out to third-party services, including AI technology, search services, and possibly other providers in the future. What’s more, it could make those connections through deals with partners behind the scenes — such as a partnership with OpenAI on select AI features — rather than using in-app transactions as a way to generate revenue.
This solution also protects Apple’s reputation from being tarnished when a third-party solution like ChatGPT makes a mistake (which often happens with AI) or when a Google search fails to return useful results.
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