Windows 10 Notifies Users They Should Make Bing Their Browser's Default Search Engine

Today ZDNet’s “Technically Incorrect” columnist Chris Matyszczyk discussed a new pop-up message that’s now appearing in Windows 10’s notification center.

It’s warning Windows users that "Microsoft recommends different browser settings. Want to change them?"The notification adds that you’ll get “Search that gives you back time and money.” And “fast and secure search results with Bing.” Oh, yes. Bing, the MySpace to Google’s Facebook, is still being pushed.

I learned that this Bing-pushing is pushing Windows users’ buttons. There’s a little Reddit thread where you’ll see laments such as: “You’re not the first to have this Microsoft Annoyance. Apparently, there are thousands in front of you.” The most poignant, perhaps, was this: “Miserably I get this despite using Edge AND having Bing set as my default search engine… (the latter of which for Microsoft Rewards). I think the ‘problem’ is that not ALL of my browsers had Bing as the default search engine? Which is ridiculous because I never use Chrome or Firefox anyway. But after clicking the popup, it ludicrously opened up all my browsers…”

What’s most distressing is the lack of any attempt at charm or humor in these notifications. Are they all written by engineers? Or robots, perhaps…? Perhaps Microsoft believes that irritation works. Perhaps it simply has no better ideas to persuade anyone to try Bing.

And really, it’s not as if Redmond is alone in pursuing this sort of communication. Why, I’ve even had Apple notifying me of its angry feelings whenever I open, oh, Microsoft Edge.

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It’s just plain embarrassing now. Nobody uses Bing and that’s a fact. Microsoft can’t do anything now to get more traffic.