14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this month, Microsoft silently introduced what it calls “Windows Tips notifications” in Windows 10 in order to highlight some of the features of the OS, and now it looks like these messages are touting the security level of Edge browser.
We first reported about these tips in early November when users started seeing what they described as “ads on the desktop,” with a Microsoft spokesperson telling us that they were actually notifications supposed to help users discover the benefits of Windows 10.
And now according to posts on Reddit, these notifications show that Edge is actually more secure than Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and pop out whenever users launch the third-party browsers.
Is this fair play from Microsoft? Hard to tell, but the company is also giving users an option to block these tips should they feel bothered by them. All they have to do is go to Settings > System > Notifications and disable the option that’s called “Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows.”
Microsoft says they’re helpful
And if you still think these notifications popping out from the taskbar are ads, here’s how Microsoft described them in a statement we received from a company spokesperson earlier this month:
“As we continue to improve Microsoft Edge, we want to inform our users of great new features that are available both in the browser and throughout Windows 10. Windows Tips notifications were created to provide people with quick, easy information that can help them enhance their Windows 10 experience. Windows 10 users can easily change default settings and preferences, should they wish, including turning off these Windows Tips and Tricks notifications in their system’s settings.”
It goes without saying that Microsoft is betting big on Edge browser, but this rather aggressive push could easily become a double-edged sword for Windows 10. Adoption of Edge is still at 5 percent according to third-party data, and using desktop notifications might not be the best way to increase it.