It’s not news that Microsoft Edge has been intercepting users who try to download the Chrome browser. Since a long time ago, visiting the Chrome website in Edge would prompt a notification claiming that Edge has the same technology as Chrome and is even safer.
However, it’s obvious that this kind of deception can’t stop users from downloading Chrome, so Microsoft has recently tested a new style: a huge banner displayed at the top of the Chrome official website, urging users to continue using Microsoft Edge.
Image：NEOWIN
This banner has a “Stay Secure” button in the middle, which sets Microsoft Edge as the default browser when clicked, and redirects to a promotional page made by Microsoft for Microsoft Edge: https://microsoftedgewelcome.microsoft.com/zh-cn/welcome.
So if users still want to download Google Chrome, they have to go back to the Chrome website again. Microsoft hopes to increase the number of steps required to download Chrome to encourage users to continue using Edge.
As for why users don’t use Microsoft Edge, Microsoft should know this very well: the periodic ads that can’t be permanently disabled, changing the user’s default search engine to Bing search, and adding more and more junk features to the sidebar, making the browser more bloated.
Looking at the market share of Microsoft Edge, it seems that these tricks haven’t worked well for Microsoft. On the contrary, these moves may drive more users away from Edge. It’s unclear when Microsoft will realize this problem.