Microsofts testing an idea to promote Bing in Windows 11 and its so awful,
it makes me want to install Linux

Date:
Fri, 15 Mar 2024 09:58:53 +0000

Description:
Pop-up foisting Bing search on Chrome users has to be seen to be believed, frankly.

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Windows 11 (and Windows 10) users who are browsing with Chrome might be confronted by a new pop-up Microsoft is testing that attempts to persuade
them to switch to Bing.

Windows Latest picked up on the pop-up which appears in a box bottom-right
of the browser window, urging users to try Bing as their default search
engine , reminding them that its easy to switch back if they dont like Bing (more on that later). The promotional blurb is pushing the capabilities of Bing AI (which we thought had been officially renamed to Copilot a while
back, but never mind) and free access to ChatGPT-4.

This is even more intrusive than it first seems, because not only is
Microsoft wanting to switch your default search to Bing, but the pop-up is also asking to install the Bing Search for Chrome plugin as this improves
the chat experience with Bing AI, youre told.

Clicking yes to the prompt means your default search is switched to Bing and this Bing plug-in is installed or you can elect to say no but theres
another level to the hassle here.

In actual fact, its the plug-in that changes your search to Bing here, and when Chrome realizes what has happened, Googles browser warns you that an extension has changed the default search to Bing.com.

Now, when Chrome informs you of whats happened, you can click a button to Change it back (your default search) to whatever it was before. But, heres
the additional kicker: Microsoft has implemented another pop-up to appear under Chromes message urging you not to change it back, and that you should select Keep it (the plug-in) to not lose access to Bing AI. Good grief, as Charlie Brown might say

Windows Latest contacted Microsoft when the site experienced all this, and
the company confirmed the pop-up, but explained that its currently a test notification.

Microsoft said: This is a one-time notification giving people the choice to set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome. For those who choose to
set Bing as their default search engine on Chrome, when signed in with their MSA they also get more chat turns in Copilot and chat history.

The software giant added: We value providing our customers with choice, so there is an option to dismiss the notification. Analysis: Bing it on or rather, dont

So, wait a minute, Microsoft youre actually flagging that providing our customers with choice in the form of a no option is some kind of laudable initiative here? Itd be interesting to see a pop-up that didnt provide any choice and just switched to Bing and installed said plug-in, whatever you
did. Thatd go down well.

Okay, so Microsoft has pushed Bing in similar ways in the past (and Edge for that matter, and other services, of course). And for the sake of balance, we should note that Google promotes its own services too (search, Chrome, and more). But as far as were aware, this represents reaching a new level of hassling the Windows user.

You might wonder how is this happening in Chrome, a Google-owned app,
anyway? Windows Latest asserts that its not something piped in by a Windows cumulative update (which just happened for March), but rather its a server-side change from Microsoft which is filtering through to some users
(as a test, as noted).

Windows Latest theorizes that the pop-up could be facilitated by one of a couple of files the tech site dug up which were added to some Windows 11 systems two days ago, apparently. (BCILauncher.EXE or BingChatInstaller.EXE, and those file names certainly make it seem like these have something to do with this promo push from Microsoft).

Its these more intrusive measures which are consistently giving Microsoft a bad name on the hassling users front. Whether its Bing, Copilot, Edge, OneDrive , or anything else, just leave off these heavy-handed attempts at driving adoption, please, Microsoft.

Even testing them, thanks, is not welcome. You shouldnt even be remotely considering using these kind of multi-stage pop-ups which exhibit
malware-like behavior in attempts to cajole users into installations, and avoid reversing those installs when another app flags up whats happened.

Its this kind of stuff that does make us yearn for a good Linux distro in
some ways, even if we must admit, its an empty threat. There are just too
many reasons to stick with Windows for our computing (and gaming) usage, but honestly, the temptation is stronger due to measures like this. You might
also like Microsoft Edge is better than Google Chrome, but I can't bring myself to switch Want to get rid of Bing, Edge and ads in Windows 11? Some users can Edge could get a feature thatll delight touchscreen users



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/browsers/microsofts-testing-an-idea-to-pro mote-bing-in-windows-11-and-its-so-awful-it-makes-me-want-to-install-linux


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