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    Microsoft Advertises Bing with Popups to Windows Users Once Again

    Microsoft has once again showcased a popup ad promoting its Bing search service to Chrome users on Windows PCs.

    When launching Chrome on their Windows devices, users were presented with a popup inviting them to “Engage with GPT-4 for free on Chrome! Enjoy numerous daily chat interactions with Bing AI”.

    To proceed, users simply had to click the “yes” button, making Bing the default search engine in Google Chrome and integrating the Bing Service to enhance the chat feature.

    Upon selecting “yes”, Bing would be set as the default search engine in Google Chrome, and the Bing Chrome extension would be added.

    Google alerts users about the attempted changes and gives them the option to revert the modifications.

    Responding to inquiries from various news sources, Microsoft explained that the popup is a one-time notification enabling users to select Bing as their default search engine on Chrome. Microsoft emphasized the importance of providing users with choices and mentioned that users could dismiss the notification.

    Despite Microsoft’s framing of it as a user choice, the response from the online community has been largely unfavorable. Feedback ranges from criticizing Microsoft’s control over the Windows OS to equating the behavior with that of malicious software.

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    Microsoft’s consistent use of popups to market its services has proven to be effective for the company, regardless of the criticism it faces each time.

    This is not the initial occasion where Microsoft utilized Windows to endorse its offerings. Back in 2017, Microsoft employed a popup to promote one of its Chrome extensions above Chrome’s taskbar icon.

    Moreover, the previous popup ad targeted Windows desktop users who were also Chrome users.

    In August 2023, a similar popup ad was shown to Chrome users, urging them to transition to Microsoft Bing as the default search engine in Chrome, granting access to Microsoft Rewards and AI. Clicking “yes” would trigger the installation of the Bing extension.

    There was also a recent incident where Edge automatically imported data from Chrome, which Microsoft attributed to a glitch. While the browser does provide an option to import Chrome data upon startup, it requires manual activation by the user.

    It’s about Options

    Presenting popup ads to encourage users to switch to Bing or another product can come across as patronizing. Users typically have their preferred configurations and services, often revolving around Google Search in Google Chrome.

    The popups offer users limited alternatives; accepting the prompt would result in Bing becoming the default search engine in Chrome, along with the installation of the Bing extension. Declining the offer could lead to future popup ads from Microsoft.

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    It seems Microsoft aims to wear down users until they opt for Bing as the default search engine simply to avoid the persistent popups, indicating an abuse of power by Microsoft, especially since there is no permanent “never again” option provided.

    Windows lacks clear controls to disable advertisements and popups. You can refer to a guide on disabling advertising popups in Windows 11 to address significant offenders.

    Final Thoughts

    Microsoft is not the sole entity using its dominance to endorse its own products. Google has also utilized its platforms to promote the Chrome web browser.

    While this doesn’t excuse Microsoft’s actions, it highlights that such practices are widespread.

    Image Source: Volodymyr Kyrylyuk / Shutterstock

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