Microsoft doesn’t want Google to dominate the search market and browser war. Previously, Windows Latest reported how Microsoft uses full-screen pop-ups to convince you to use Microsoft Edge over Chrome and other browsers. Now, Microsoft is rolling out a server-side update that makes it slightly tricky to find the Chrome download link.
Part of my job is to keep track of all Microsoft Edge and Bing experiments. Windows Latest was the first to flag Microsoft Bing’s shady anti-Google practices. Now, over the weekend, Windows Latest spotted that Microsoft shows a giant search bar when you search for Google Chrome on Bing.
This is still acceptable, considering the full-screen Edge, Bing, and Copilot pop-ups that appear when using Google Chrome on Windows 11, but now Microsoft is going beyond just showing an ad on the Bing page.
It will now hide the Google Chrome download link behind a See more button.
As first spotted by Windows Latest, when you’re logged out of your Microsoft account in Microsoft Edge and search for Chrome on Bing.com, you’ll see a banner promoting Microsoft Edge.
The “There’s no need to download a new web browser” ad with a link to Microsoft Edge isn’t new. It’s been there for several months now. Microsoft says it “recommends using Microsoft Edge for a fast, secure and modern web experience that can help save you time and money.”
As shown in the above GIF, Microsoft has turned on a blur effect that makes the real Chrome link harder to see, so your eyes focus on the Microsoft Edge ad first.
The banner encourages you to use Microsoft Edge, and when you scroll a little, you’ll finally see the Chrome download page, but it’s hidden in a sneaky way.
You’ll be able to reproduce the result when you search for Chrome on Bing. I find it sneaky because it feels like Microsoft is not only showing an ad but also making it difficult to use the Google Chrome link.
Some might argue that people can click the See More button and download Google Chrome, but what we do not realize is that these ads really do work for non-tech-savvy customers.
People who don’t understand the difference between Bing and Google, or Edge and Chrome, and see them as synonymous with ‘search engine’ and ‘browser,’ are likely to fall for these ads.
Microsoft is now hiding Google search when you search Google on Bing
Previously, Windows Latest reported that Microsoft was tricking people into believing that Google and Bing were the same thing.
Instead of removing the fake Google-like search bar from Bing when users search for Google on Bing.com, Microsoft is now doubling down on its efforts.
It’s now hiding the Google link which appears when you scroll down. This is similar to the anti-Chrome campaign I mentioned above.
Instead of a link to Google search, you’ll now see a giant Microsoft search bar with an animated picture that resembles Google search. Previously, you could ignore the banner, scroll, and go to Google when you searched for it on Bing, but now you’ll see a new See more button, which needs to be clicked to open Google search links.
Fun, right? That’s anti-competitive for sure, but remember – Google is more evil, and it often downgrades the performance of YouTube on rival browsers, including Firefox.
We’re seeing a tit-for-tat practice here, and both sides need to do better.
