The two browsers Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge have been on the same basis for a long time and have therefore developed greater compatibility with each other – which is mainly driven by Microsoft. So far, Microsoft has only been able to motivate a few users to switch, so the strategy is now apparently changing: A new function enables Edge to be used as a fifth wheel on the wagon.
With the change to the Chromium basis, Microsoft may have promised itself that it would finally achieve high browser market shares again. Although Edge has already achieved some respectable successes and is growing, Google Chrome is still dominant and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. Microsoft’s developers have also noticed this and are reacting with an interesting new function that could soon be activated for all users: a constant transfer of Chrome data.
The function, which can currently only be activated via a flag and cannot yet be used, is intended to trigger the transfer of all available browser data from Chrome to Edge – every time the browser is started. Everyone knows the one-off takeover from the browser setup, but constant tapping is something new. Mind you, this isn’t syncing, because it only works one way, and it’s not “live” either.
To me, this means that Microsoft assumes that users should only use Edge casually and still be able to find all their bookmarks, passwords, browsing data and more. This makes Edge a shadow copy of Chrome, which in my opinion sounds rather counterproductive from a strategic point of view…