When it comes to using an iPhone, there are several browsers to choose from, with the majority flocking to Chrome or Safari. It's a competition that has been heating up in the complicated relationship between Apple and Google.

Well, Apple's latest horrible attack ad isn't going to make that relationship any more complicated. While not overtly telling you to stop using Chrome, it is quite explicitly attacking Google's browser for using a large number of tracking cookies.

Currently, 30% of iPhone users use Chrome as their default browser, and according to a report by The Information, Google wants to raise this to 50%. This equates to another 300 million iOS devices, and with maintaining app loyalty now the most direct path to revenue, Apple does not want to lose its grip on the majority of iPhone browser usage.

So the company seems to have planned to prey on two key issues when using the competition:

These include preventing cross-site tracking by default and hiding IP addresses (the latter of which requires having an iCloud+ account), These are things that Safari has been trampling on from the start. This makes it a good place for Apple to advertise and raise concerns about its main competitor.

We asked Google for a response to this latest ad campaign, but its response does not necessarily answer the issue that Apple is hinting at quite explicitly here.

A Google spokesperson told Tom's Guide: “Chrome is built with the goal of keeping users' data secure by default and giving users control over when and how their data is used by Chrome to personalize their web browsing experience. Chrome is built with the goal of keeping your data secure by default and giving you control over when and how your data is used in Chrome to personalize your web browsing experience. To that end, we have built easy-to-use privacy and security settings directly into Chrome.

The browser war on the iPhone is very much more likely to be Apple's to lose than Google's to win. And from the perspective of someone who used to work in the advertising industry, this dystopian setup is a pretty effective way to get the message across.

Current Chrome users are not necessarily oblivious to these cookies, but they may have come to terms with them and the subsequent risks. However, new iPhone users or users who were not necessarily aware of how much is learned about you through Chrome's browsing activity may get scared and switch.

We will follow up with Google to get their comments and will reach out to security experts for more context. Stay tuned.