Microsoft Dangles Bribes to Get You to Switch to Edge and Bing

Microsoft is once again trying to get users to switch to its Edge browser and Bing search engine, this time by offering financial incentives.

The company has launched a referral scheme that rewards users with up to 7,500 Microsoft Rewards points for inviting friends to try Edge on their mobile devices. To qualify, the invited friend must sign in to Edge, use it for at least two days, and conduct web searches using Bing within the first two weeks of being referred.

But that's not all - a separate app called 'Microsoft Recommended Search' has been discovered, which changes the default search engine on some browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Brave, to Bing. The app is currently available for download from Microsoft's servers, but it's unclear whether it will be rolled out to Windows 11 users in the future.

Some users have expressed concerns that this is an attempt by Microsoft to push its own search engine and browser on unsuspecting users, rather than letting them choose their preferred options. Others have pointed out that this is just another example of Microsoft's 'bribing' tactics, where it offers rewards or incentives to get people to use its products.