In the latest A/B test, Microsoft is using Windows 10’s taskbar
to push Chromium Edge-powered web apps for YouTube, Facebook,
Office, and more. The new Edge popup from Microsoft will appear
after applying general Windows Updates, or when you’re normally
browsing other apps.
If you’ve Windows 10 October 2020 Update or newer, and whether
or not you have the Edge browser icon on your taskbar, you may
soon start seeing a new pop-up that encourages you to try the
Edge-powered web apps.
“Go straight to top sites”, the pop-up notification reads, with
Microsoft explaining that it will “pin your favourite sites to
quickly open tabs directly from the taskbar”. The feature is
apparently based on Microsoft Edge’s taskbar pinning wizard,
which was introduced last year.
It’s worth noting that the pop-up will appear even when
Microsoft Edge is the default browser and you’ve already pinned
sites to the taskbar. The company is not targeting people who
use Google Chrome and Firefox as default browsers.
Microsoft originally started experimenting with the alerts in
2020 and it seems to be rolling out to more devices, according
to our own tests and reports received from users.
The purpose of the pop-up alert is to remind you about the
Progressive Web Apps capabilities of the new Chromium-based
Edge.
If you click on the “Try it” button, Microsoft Edge’s taskbar
pinning wizard will appear on the desktop and it will ask you
to pin these websites:
- YouTube
- Wikipedia
- Microsoft News (MSN)
“When you launch these sites from the taskbar, they’ll open in
Microsoft Edge,” Microsoft noted.
Once you’ve pinned the sites to the taskbar, Microsoft will
show recommendations for its popular web apps, such as Bing and
Office.
The next screen will persuade you to try out the “recommended
browser settings” over Chrome and Firefox.
“Now, let’s make sure your browser settings are how you want
them. We recommend the latest Microsoft Edge for performance,
privacy and productivity,” Microsoft noted.
“Your current settings” option is selected by default, but you
can click on “Microsoft recommended settings” and switch to
Edge with Bing.
If you close the alert by clicking on the “X” icon, Windows 10
taskbar won’t bug you to use Edge web apps again.
