Google suggests using Chrome extensions on Edge isn’t secure

Google continued the recommendation rivalry between Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge with a new warning. Now, when people browse the Chrome web store through the new Microsoft Edge browser, they’ll see a recommendation that reads, “Google recommends switching to Chrome to use extensions securely.” The move is the latest back and forth between Microsoft and Google finding different ways to recommend their own browsers.

The new Microsoft Edge is powered by Chromium, meaning it can run extensions designed for Google Chrome. These extensions seem to run without issue, and that might be a concern for Google. Because Microsoft Edge has access to thousands of extensions, it is a more viable browser for people. Being powered by Chromium also means that in most cases, the new Microsoft Edge is equally compatible with websites when compared to Google Chrome.

Windows Latest first spotted the recommendation alert. It also pointed out that Google uses ‘user agent string’ to tell when people view the Chrome web store through the new Microsoft Edge. If you change the user-agent within the new Microsoft Edge, the warning goes away. Windows Latest also highlights that the same warning does not appear within other browsers powered by Chromium, such as Opera and Brave.

The warning doesn’t stop anyone from using Chrome extensions in Microsoft Edge. I’m using several Chrome extensions in the new Microsoft Edge to write this very article. But people might think something is wrong with using Chrome extensions in the new Edge because of this warning.

Google used similar tactics in the past, including blocking or warning people about using certain Google services in the new Microsoft Edge. Google claimed that these warnings and blocks occurred because the new Microsoft Edge was in beta testing, but many people were skeptical of that explanation.

There are two sides to most fights, and Microsoft also recommends its browser frequently. If you search for Google Chrome in Bing, the search engine will tell you about how Edge is better in several ways. There are several other ways that Microsoft recommends Edge as well.

It seems likely that Google and Microsoft will continue to recommend people use their respective browsers and warn people about users competing browsers.