Seemingly tired of the running joke that people mostly use Edge to download Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft has added a built-in prompt to discourage users from downloading an alternative internet browser.
The prompt appears in the new version of the Edge browser, both on Windows 10 and Windows 11 according to our tests.
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These prompts were first spotted by Neowin.net.
Their prompt, as well as the one in Memeburn’s Windows 10 test, states: “Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft.”
The same prompt appeared on our Windows 11 test.
Unlike a normal website popup, this is a unique “Learn more about Microsoft Edge” prompt that appears. While seemingly more consistent on Windows 11, only some Windows 10 users are receiving the prompt.
However, the same prompt seen on the Google Chrome website did not appear on the Firefox download site in our tests.
Since then, multiple outlets and users have found various versions of the prompt.
Other versions of the Microsoft Edge prompt, with screenshots posted on social media, include:
- That browser is so 2008! Do you know what’s new? Microsoft Edge.
- “I hate saving money,” said no one ever. Microsoft Edge is the best browser for online shopping.
Microsoft is also currently promoting an ad on its Bing search engine when users search for Chrome or Firefox. In the search results, the top ad tells users that there’s no need to download another browser.
Why did Microsoft add anti-Chrome the prompt to Edge?
According to StatCounter, as of November 2021, Chrome is the most popular browser worldwide with a market share of 64.06% across platforms.
It’s no secret that alternative browsers have sought to challenge the Google browser’s dominance.
Safari is second in the rankings, with 19.22% of the global market share across platforms as of November 2021.
Edge’s share stands at 4.19%. This is a 1% increase from where it stood a year before, at 3.01%.
But with there not being not much budging in the market share statistics, even with the company starting to roll out a new operating system, it seems to be taking a more aggressive approach.
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