Google is using several of its sites to push ‘new’ Microsoft Edge users to Chrome

Ben Schoon | Feb 24 2020 - 7:32 am PT

Google and Microsoft have a bit of a complicated relationship. Sometimes, the two companies collaborate for the better. Other times, they use questionable tactics to try and steal users of each other’s products. In the latest example of the latter, Google is pushing users of Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser over to Chrome by using most of its online services.

Spotted by the folks over at TechDows and MSPU, in the past few days, Google has started showing a message on nearly all of its online services to Edge users. This message consistently pushes Edge users to download Chrome by baiting them with extra features.

For example, on Google Docs, Google displays a small pop-up message on the page that mentions how Docs only works offline if you’re using the Chrome browser. Docs is far from the only example, though, as Google is also showing these “Switch to Chrome” pop-ups to Microsoft Edge users on its Search homepage, News, and even on Google Translate. You can see some screenshots of these below.

Of course, these messages aren’t really doing any harm to Microsoft Edge users. Plus, Google is very much in its right to display these messages on its services, simply encouraging those users to also download Google Chrome. However, it’s very interesting that these messages have started showing up for users of Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge just in the past few days. Even more interestingly, Google isn’t showing these messages on other Chromium browsers such as Opera. Perhaps the new Edge is making a dent in Chrome installs? Who knows.

Would these “ads” bother you? Let us know in the comments!