Recent screenshots shared by WindowsLatest reveal an aggressive advertising move by Microsoft, aimed at getting more Windows 10 users to set Microsoft Edge as their default browser. This strategy has already been deployed on Windows 11, but with Windows 10 still commanding a dominant position in the desktop OS market, Microsoft decided to push this feature to Windows 10 users as well.
The promotional banners appear when users click on the search bar after installing updates on Windows 10. Similar to the previous ads, these banners conveniently provide an ‘Apply’ button. Once clicked, it sets Microsoft Edge as the default browser without requiring the user to manually change settings.
However, it seems that not all users are equally receptive to these advertisements. WindowsLatest noticed that Microsoft is running A/B testing on these ads, a method to assess user tolerance and find out which ad style is more likely to be accepted.
Due to the mixed reactions from users, the intrusive search-triggered banner ads were quickly pulled back by Microsoft. It’s speculated that the company plans to refine its approach before launching these ads again. As Microsoft continues to push for Edge’s adoption, it remains to be seen how this balance between user experience and promotional efforts will be struck. Stay tuned for updates on this evolving story.