Microsoft Edge now prompts users not to download Google Chrome
Pop-up message when users visit Chrome page prompts them to think again
Software giant Microsoft seems to have found yet another way to deter people from downloading Chrome and instead use Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge browser on their Windows 11 machines.
As reported by NeoWin, when users go to Google Chrome's homepage to download the browser, a pop-up message advises users to keep using Edge for better security.
"Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft," the message says.
Another message reads: "That browser is so 2008! Do you know what's new? Microsoft Edge."
The pop-up also includes a button titled "browse securely now" which, when clicked, takes users to a webpage, explaining all the ways in which Microsoft Edge protects the privacy of users along with multiple useful features.
Edge replaced Internet Explorer in 2015, and it is now the default browser for Windows 10 and 11. According to Statcounter, Edge had a market share of 9.5 per cent in global desktop browser segment as of November 2021, while Google Chrome was at top spot with 66.35 per cent market share.
Microsoft's latest move to discourage users from downloading Chrome comes days after the company faced criticism for building a 'buy now, pay later' tool into Edge, which encourages users to pay for their purchases using a short-term financing service called Zip.
Commenting on the feature, cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont said it was "deeply shocking" that the feature was "built into the base Windows OS on billions of devices".
A user wrote on a Microsoft tech community forum: "This all feels extremely unnecessary for a browsing experience."
"I don't want it. I don't even want the shopping and discovery features y'all have pushed out. These kinds of things should be separated into extensions. I am way more interested in a lightning fast browser that uses minimal resources while being secure. Edge on Mac is getting heavier and heavier."
Last month, it also emerged that Microsoft had blocked workarounds that let users avoid Edge browser in Windows 11. In November, Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider preview build 22494, which blocked EdgeDeflector, a tool that allows users to open links associated with Microsoft Edge in a browser of their choice.
In a blog post, Microsoft said it had fixed "an issue where OS functionality could be improperly redirected when microsoft-edge: links are invoked." Defending the move, the company argued that certain end-to-end customer experiences in Windows 10 and Windows 11 are not designed to be redirected.
But Microsoft is not alone in using such practices against rivals. Google also uses its popular services to discourage people from using Edge browser.
Opening Google Search, Gmail, and other Google services within Edge shows many users a prompt to try Google Chrome. Last year, the company quietly updated its Chrome web store with a security alert to encourage Edge users to switch to Chrome.