Yesterday, we reported that Microsoft is trying out new tactics to make Edge your default browser in Windows 11. This includes test behavior where Edge automatically loads on startup by default each time your restart your PC, and also informs you of this change via a notification banner, letting you know that you can change this via settings. Naturally, customers are not happy with this move, with many voicing their dissatisfaction in the Neowin comments section too. Now, a browser coalition has slammed Microsoft for its latest experiment too.
In a statement to Neowin, Browser Choice Alliance criticized Microsoft for yet again trying to take control from the hands of Windows 11 users. It claims that Redmond is introducing "unnecessary friction" when switching browsers so customers are forced to use Edge:
Microsoft should prioritize user choice instead of testing a feature that pushes Edge onto Windows 11 users regardless of their chosen browser. By making this a default feature that users must take steps to opt-out of, Microsoft has added unnecessary friction to the user journey. We are closely monitoring Microsoft’s implementation of this feature and urge the company to respect the browser preferences of Windows 11 users instead of continuing to steer users toward Edge.
For those unaware, Browser Choice Alliance is a coalition of browser vendors including Google Chrome, Midori, Opera, Vivaldi, BrowserWorks, and Wavebox. This group has previously blasted Microsoft for "bribing" people to use Edge, and forcing PC vendors to bundle Edge by default in Windows hardware.
However, it's unclear if the coalition's protests have had any tangible effect in the past. For example, Google rarely makes an individual statement about Microsoft's behavior in the browser space, which isn't entirely surprising considering that Chrome is so far ahead in terms of market share that Edge probably isn't worth the attention.
That said, it is worth noting that this "feature" is only being trialed in Edge Beta for now and hasn't made its way to the general public just yet. Now that news of this experiment has hit mainstream media and consumers have voiced their displeasure over the tactic, there is a non-zero probability that Microsoft will decide to revert its decision and kill off this capability for good.
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