Microsoft's latest move to pay people to use Edge looks desperate and an odd new Bing app is worrying too

Date:
Mon, 24 Aug 2026 14:30:24 +0000

Description:
An app has been spotted that makes Bing your default search, and some users see it as another reason to leave Windows 11.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Microsoft has concocted another scheme to pay people to use Edge It's a referral link that gives you reward points for every friend invited A strange Bing app has also been spotted that switches some browsers to have Microsoft's search engine by default, and it's proving controversial Microsoft is once again pushing Edge and also Bing in promotional efforts that may elicit more than a few groans from Windows 11 users.

We're used to this kind of thing in Windows 11, mind, and I'll come back to Bing later, as this is an apparent plan that hasn't kicked into action yet. However, the latest Edge scheme is active, and as Windows Latest reports , it's offering financial incentives to get people to use Microsoft 's web browser. This is happening on the mobile version of Edge where users are
being offered a referral scheme. If you can get a friend to switch to Edge
via a referral link, you'll receive 500 Microsoft Rewards points (with the ability to accumulate up to 7,500 points per month if you're feeling ambitious). Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

The person you invite can't be an existing Edge user (they must never have installed the mobile browser), and they will also earn 500 points for signing up. However, your invited friend must sign into Edge and use the browser for at least two days (web searching on Bing, too) within the first two weeks of being referred.

Windows Latest observes that there's no way to access this referral scheme should you be interested you'll just have to keep using Edge mobile and wait until it's presented to you. You may like Survey underlines how Microsoft keeps pushing Edge on Windows 11 users Mozilla report accuses Microsoft of unfairly pushing Edge in Windows A new Edge vs Safari debate is raging, but I think Firefox is best for Macs

As well as the promotion of Bing in that offer (in terms of the requirement
to use the search engine for a couple of days), there's a more brazen initiative to push Bing usage that Windows Latest also spotted .

This was highlighted in a post on X by leaker Xeno who discovered a small app called 'Microsoft Recommended Search' which has one sole and simple purpose: to change your default search engine to Bing. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

When run, it offers up a simple slider to set Bing as the default engine, and if you allow this, the app switches to Microsoft's search engine across some of your installed browsers. That means Chrome and Firefox, and also
apparently Brave and possibly others, via extensions which are added to these browsers. Apparently the experience is rounded off by sending the user to the Microsoft Rewards page.

Where is this app exactly? Thankfully it isn't something that's being
deployed to Windows 11, and Windows Latest notes that it's just a standalone application hosted on Microsoft's official download servers (download.microsoft.com) for the time being, anyway. Analysis: an ominous sign? (Image credit: Tada Images / Shutterstock) Does this mean that the Bing switching application is something Microsoft intends to pipe out to Windows
11 at some point? That's the obvious worry, because you've got to wonder why Microsoft built this mini app in the first place. I'm guessing that this is something for use in testing, though, and not active deployment although it could come to Windows 11 in theory (or something similar could). What to read next Microsoft sabotages its fix Windows 11 drive with a nasty OneDrive misfire Windows 11's Weather app comes under fire for using too much RAM Windows 11 search could soon get one of my most-wanted changes

I really hope not, and given that Microsoft is doing its level best to get everyone to appreciate its desktop OS this year , it's obvious that anything along these lines would be highly counterproductive to that goal.

However, there's plenty of suspicion on Reddit about Microsoft's intentions here, and chatter from those who've already switched to Linux, pointing out that this kind of thing is exactly why they migrated. As one Redditor put it
: "Every day is a Microslop news day, I'm so glad I quit Windows a while
ago." There are quite a few others in that thread who see this as another reason to defect to Linux, despite the fact that nothing has happened with this Bing app yet.

As for the referral scheme to promote Edge, this isn't the first time Microsoft has effectively offered lowkey bribes to get people to switch to
the browser. Indeed, the likes of million-dollar prizes have been thrown around recently (and the same has been true of Bing in the past ). Not that there's anything wrong with this idea in principle, except it does show that Microsoft's getting rather desperate in its efforts to recruit folks to use Edge and Bing.

The most baffling part of all with Edge is that it's a good web browser which stands on its own merits, and I think it would benefit from not being
promoted so much (as that activity only makes people suspicious, or
determined not to use Edge as a reaction to being constantly cajoled about it). Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/edge/microsofts-latest-move-to-pay-people- to-use-edge-looks-desperate-and-an-odd-new-bing-app-is-worrying-too


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