Google Search has stopped displaying price charts for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in its search results. Users can still access these charts through Google Finance.
Over the weekend, Twitter users noted that searching for Bitcoin’s price no longer yields a chart in the search results. In contrast, stock price searches still produce charts.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Decrypt.
Google’s decision has prompted discussions about the reasons behind this change. Interestingly, as of press time, searching for “DOGE” still shows Dogecoin’s price chart.The feature showing the balances of Ethereum Name Service (ENS) addresses is also still functional.
Previously, Google provided charts showing current rates of leading cryptocurrencies, allowing users to check prices without navigating to another platform. This feature enabled users to see real-time or near-real-time price charts for Bitcoin in search results.
Separately, Google Trends data shows that the search volume for “Bitcoin” on Google hit a one-year low during the week of Oct. 13-19, 2024. By the end of the week, global interest in the term had dropped to 27% of this year’s peak search volume reported between March 3 and 9.
Bitcoin search interest is highest in El Salvador, the world’s first country to adopt BTC as its legal tender in 2021, but failed to see widespread adoption. It is followed by Nigeria, a country where inflation skyrocketed, and crypto is seen as a capital flight mechanism that led to a crackdown by local authorities and dire consequences for local exchanges.
Ethereum shows a similar trend, with Oct. 13-19 data showing a yearly low of only 19% of the search volume reported at the high seen between March 3 and 9. Search interest is quite different from Bitcoin’s, led by Saint Helena, followed by Switzerland and Slovenia.
Edited by Stacy Elliott.
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