In a recent report on WindowsLatest, it was reported that Microsoft just released a Windows 10 update that ushers in the return of bothersome pop-up alerts, which has been the bane of many user’s existences. Since its release, Windows 10 users have seen alerts promoting Bing as the recommended search engine and asking users if they wish to change.
Which, let’s be honest here, the answer is a resounding no. Nobody wants to change from their preferred search engine of choice (Google) to Bing simply because it would make Microsoft happy. The new Bing alerts came along with updates to Microsoft’s Edge browser, which we all know, is the one they wish we would use but, even with the release of the much-improved version 91, nobody likes to be prompted constantly. When you download another browser and make the switch, Microsoft reminds you several times that Edge is the browser of choice for Windows 10 as if they’re trying to induce Helsinki syndrome.
Obviously, Microsoft is trying to push Windows 10 users to use Bing because, according to Statcounter data, it’s used just 2.27% by users when searching the web, while Google is used 92.18% of the time. When you consider that Windows 10 has been installed on more the one billion devices the world over yet Bing and the Edge browser are used far less than Chrome or Google search is staggering. It’s a no-brainer for Microsoft to try and push its products to users in every way possible. However, the pop-ups are quite a nuisance, no matter how much the company tries to sell us on improvements made to newsfeeds, security, and even claiming users can save money using Bing in connection to the Microsoft rewards program.
Users can temporarily dismiss the pop-up or roll their eyes and switch to Bing, as it’s somewhat difficult to shut down the pop-up permanently. However, there is a way to do so if the burning desire behooves you.
Launch Microsoft Edge and then enter “edge://flags” into the URL bar, which will open up a list of “experimental” features. To block future notifications, deactivate the “Show feature and workflow recommendations” flag.
Microsoft needs to rectify this and make it a simple button click because making something annoying, doesn’t endear you to the over one billion Windows 10 users worldwide. It just makes you that annoying soon-to-be ex, that can’t take a hint.
