Windows 10 Insider build gives Edge popup on Chrome and Firefox install

Insider builds of Windows 10 version 1809 show a popup that redirects users to the Edge browser when they want to install Chrome or Firefox. It is not yet clear whether the pop-up will also be in the final release.

Among other things, ghacks.net mentions the pop-up. It is a window that tells you that Edge is already on the computer, and that it is a faster and more secure browser. It is possible to choose install anyway. It is also possible to turn off the notification, for this you have to turn off ‘app recommendations’ in the Settings menu.

Microsoft has been advertising its Edge browser in Windows 10 for some time now. This happens, for example, when users search for Chrome or Firefox with search engine Bing. The new pop-up also appears if users want to install an alternative browser in a different way.

Between 2010 and 2014, the European Commission ordered Microsoft to offer Windows users a browser selection screen. That obligation was imposed because Internet Explorer had a market share of more than 90 percent, due to the bundling with Windows. Other browsers couldn’t compete with that. Edge currently has a market share of 4.2 percent, according to Statcounter. That is less than Internet Explorer, which still has a market share of 7 percent.

Microsoft added the popup to the Insider builds of Windows 10 version 1809. That’s the version formerly known as Redstone 5 and officially named Windows 10 October 2018 Update. Microsoft could still choose to omit the pop-up from the final version.