Despite being the default web browser in Windows 10, Microsoft Edge has been an unpopular choice for users to surf the internet on their PC and laptops. It has mostly lived in the shadow of the more popular Google Chrome, which dominates the browser market. Perhaps, that was the reason that prompted the Redmond giant to overhaul the Edge web browser which is now based on the same Chromium engine as Chrome, which in turn allows Edge to use extensions that were originally designed for Chrome.
Although the overhaul makes Edge seem like a much more attractive web browser than it ever was, it seems to have made Google worried that the new Edge might be stealing away users from Chrome, which still remains the undisputed king of web browser, and it looks like Google will do anything to keep Chrome from losing its throne, including displaying a security warning to people using Microsoft's Edge browser when they access the Chrome Web Store.
Google Chrome vs Microsoft Edge
According to a Windows Latest report, Edge users who visit the Chrome Web store are seeing a warning message that reads "Google recommends switching to Chrome to use extensions securely."
Although this doesn't seem to prevent Edge users from adding Chrome extensions, it is a clear indication that Google wants to make them feel that the Edge browser they are using is less secure than Chrome. This tactic could help convince some users to switch to Chrome as a way of "improving security," but there's still no evidence to prove that since both browsers are based on the same underlying Chromium platform.
Google's warning is quite a crafty approach, especially when considering Chrome's huge market share lead. But it could be rather an ingenious method that the company may have taken to stifle any competition it senses, and it's not something new. Both Google and Microsoft have been accused of employing such guileful tactics in the past too.
Not the first time
Google has used similar "scare tactics" when it showed warnings to Edge users who access its services in the past. Last year, the search giant issued warnings to Edge users who used Google services such as Gmail, Google Docs and YouTube on their Edge browser. The company had said that it won't be blocking Edge but won't be whitelisting it either until the browser came out of beta. Although Edge is now out of beta, it seems like Google won't stop showing the warnings just yet.
However, all that seems like a messy business, but the fact that Google's been suing the "user-agent" tag to identify Edge users to warn those who access its popular services is a cause of concern.
Microsoft is guilty too
Meanwhile, Microsoft isn't one to be called innocent when it comes to these kind of tactics either. The tech giant is guilty of using its position as the developer of Windows 10 to its advantage and forcing Edge on the user by making it the default browser on its Windows OS.
Microsoft has also been accused of using its position to show messages and warnings when users search fro Chrome and install it, thereby trying to dissuade users from searching for and installing Chrome.
