Perplexity will come to Moto phones after exec testified Google limited access – Ars Technica
2025-04-24T20:41:25Z
After telling the court Google blocked its Moto deal, Perplexity debuts on the new Razrs.
Google’s antitrust remedy trial started this week, and the Department of Justice has produced several witnesses to testify about how Google’s stranglehold on search has slowed their innovation. On day three, Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko told the court that Google blocked Perplexity from being the default on Motorola phones, which is precisely the kind of anticompetitive behavior that got it in hot water. It would appear there is some room in the smartphone world, though, because Perplexity is included with Moto’s newly announced flip phones.
During questioning on Wednesday, Shevelenko likened Google’s mobile integration contracts to a “gun to your head.” He claimed that both Motorola and Perplexity, which positions itself as an AI search engine, were interested in a partnership last year, but the phone maker was unable to get out of its Google distribution contract, which prevented it from using a non-Google assistant platform.
Google has long required Android device makers to use Assistant on their devices, but Google’s launch of Gemini added a sense of urgency. Google is pushing Gemini into every corner of its ecosystem with the aim of catching up to ChatGPT, and it might be working. Motorola’s 2024 phones were some of the first to prominently feature Gemini as the default assistant instead of Google Assistant. Apparently, the deal left no room for Perplexity as OEMs are unwilling to risk their Google revenue-sharing agreements.
In his antitrust testimony, Shevelenko noted that having default placement is important but difficult to secure due to Google’s omnipresence on phones. He said the process of changing the default is like a “jungle gym,” Bloomberg reported. It apparently took Shevelenko 10–15 minutes to change from Gemini to Perplexity on a Motorola phone, and he had to ask the company’s IT staff for help. While it’s not a setting you’ll run across often, it’s a bit hyperbolic to claim it takes 15 minutes to swap an app default. The option is in the Default Apps menu, which is two taps deep in the settings. You can also search the settings for “assistant,” and the default assistant menu is one of the top results.
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