Microsoft Edge tries to forcibly recover your Chrome tabs.
Microsoft has found a new strategy to attract Chrome users to its Edge browser.
Recently, Microsoft’s Edge browser started automatically running on some PCs, importing tabs from Chrome without the user’s consent. Although the company did not provide an explanation for this initial behavior, it addressed the issue in a browser update. However, it continues to attempt to gather data from Chrome, as it has released a new update that causes Edge to launch automatically and offers the option to import tabs from Chrome.
A colleague noticed that Edge activated automatically on his PC last week upon startup and displayed a new message promising to "enhance your browsing experience." This pop-up has the option to "bring your data from other browsers regularly" checked by default, encouraging users to proceed with a large blue button. Those wishing to ignore this request must look for a small white X button, which is easily overlooked among the visual elements used in the background of the message.
If the action is confirmed, Edge will proceed to import data from Chrome and will continue to do so if Google’s browser is set as the default. The appearance of this message seems primarily targeted at those who have Chrome installed, indicating that Microsoft is focusing its efforts on attracting users from this browser. A company spokesperson stated that this is a notification giving users the option to import data from other browsers, ensuring that there is a possibility to disable this feature.
This tactic from Microsoft is not surprising, given that the company has been using similar methods for over four years. After the launch of the Chromium-based version of Edge in 2020, they began automatically starting the browser with the intention of diverting users from Chrome. Additionally, they blocked tools like EdgeDeflector to force Windows 11 users to use Edge, and made it difficult to change the default browser in this operating system.
Microsoft's behavior has led to growing skepticism towards Edge, Windows 11, and its efforts in artificial intelligence. The controversy generated around Recall should serve as an indicator for the company to recognize that its pop-ups in Windows 11 could undermine consumer trust in its artificial intelligence integrations.
