Microsoft is once more injecting pop-ups into the Google Chrome browser to get folks to modify to Bing. The software program big first launched malware-like pop-up advertisements final yr, with a request showing on high of different apps and home windows. After discontinuing that notification to handle “unintended conduct,” pop-ups are again on Home windows 10 and 11.
Home windows customers have reported seeing the brand new pop-up in latest days promoting Bing AI and Microsoft's Bing search engine in Google Chrome. For those who click on sure to this immediate, then Microsoft will set Bing because the default search engine for Chrome. These newest requests appear like malware and as soon as once more have Home windows customers questioning if they’re reliable or nefarious. Microsoft has confirmed that The Verge that the pop-ups are real and may solely seem as soon as.
“This can be a distinctive notification that provides folks the flexibility to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome,” says Caitlin Roulston, director of communications, in a press release to The Verge. Roulston framed the pop-up by giving Home windows customers benefits, as they’ll obtain extra chat traces in Copilot in the event that they settle for the notification. “We worth giving our prospects a alternative, so there’s an choice to reject the notification.”
If Microsoft actually valued giving Home windows customers a alternative, then they would offer a straightforward strategy to disable these pop-ups for good. There are a number of how Microsoft tries to get Home windows customers to modify to Bing and Edge, making it troublesome to keep away from them by altering settings.
I've been more and more annoyed with Microsoft's makes an attempt to aggressively push pop-up advertisements at Chrome customers over the previous few years. Microsoft has used pop-ups in Chrome, the Home windows taskbar and elsewhere to advertise its personal companies. Microsoft even as soon as pressured folks into Edge after a Home windows replace, and commonly presents a full-screen message to attempt to get Home windows customers to modify to Bing and Edge after making use of updates.
Earlier this yr, Microsoft even needed to repair a problem the place its Edge browser was robotically importing information and looking tabs from Chrome with out consent. I personally skilled the bug; after I restarted my pc for a Home windows replace, Microsoft Edge robotically opened with the Chrome tabs I used to be engaged on earlier than the replace.
I wrote in August that I used to be “counting down the times till the following annoying pop-up” seems, and right here it’s simply over six months later. I nonetheless hope that Microsoft will lastly ditch these annoying pop-ups and respect the selection of Home windows customers to decide on no matter search engine and browser they wish to use.