Windows 11 users have been desperately trying to get them to use the built-in Edge web browser for years (stretching back to Windows 10) and it looks like now it’s iPhone users’ turn.
As the latest Windows reports (opens in a new tab)iPhone users who have Microsoft’s Outlook email app installed will start seeing pop-ups trying to convince them to open links and attachments using Microsoft Edge rather than Safari or another default browser like Chrome.
If you don’t have Edge installed, which probably is the case for most iPhone users, you’ll be taken to a page to download and install Microsoft’s browser.
You can open links and documents using the default selection, although having to select a default selection negates the point of creating something default. You can also set it to “remember” your choice so you don’t have to do it again. However, you must do this for each file type.
Risky methods
While any iPhone owner who uses Outlook instead of their default email app may already be predisposed to using Microsoft apps instead of Apple’s own, many will be turned off by Microsoft’s harassment.
Windows users may be used to Microsoft’s strenuous efforts to get people to use less popular services and products like Edge and Bing, but I can’t imagine many iPhone users will be impressed.
This can end up being counterproductive with users intentionally avoiding using Edge – and perhaps even uninstalling Outlook in response.
One of the fundamental problems with Microsoft’s attempts is that instead of creating a product that captures people’s imagination and makes them want to use it, it instead uses other, more popular products as Trojan horses to try and improve its less popular products .
This may sound harsh, but to be honest, I’m sick of being told by Microsoft to use Edge even though I’ve explicitly set my preferred web browser as the default on Windows 11.
In the Windows Latest screenshot shown in the Outlook popup, Microsoft doesn’t explain why the user should use Edge instead of the default selection.
By spending more time selling the advantages of Edge to users (it is one of the best web browsers, after all), rather than trying to smuggle it into systems otherwise, Microsoft would have a much better chance of winning over people.
The hype surrounding Bing’s new AI-powered search engine has fueled interest and use of Bing – even the Bing iOS app has rarely topped the App Store’s download list. This shows that when Microsoft demonstrates how its products are different or even better than its competitors, people will be eager to try them.
However, forcing them on people won’t have the same effect, and I hope Microsoft learns from this lesson soon.