Microsoft Edge Canary adds flags to detect Bing searches and the Atlas download page, showing prompts to keep users on Edge as OpenAI's browser gains traction.
© E. Vartanyan
Microsoft doesn’t seem keen to make switching to alternative browsers any easier. A test build of Edge Canary contains special flags that point to a planned mechanism for intercepting downloads of OpenAI’s Atlas browser.
The change centers on three new parameters that may activate when someone tries to search for or download Atlas through Edge. Judging by their names, the system can monitor Bing queries, detect visits to the download page, and surface notices or promotional messages highlighting Edge’s advantages.
Microsoft already applies a similar playbook to Google Chrome. Users who look for Chrome via Bing are shown banners encouraging them to stay with Edge, and visiting Chrome’s download page triggers a pop-up with an alternative offer from Microsoft.
Now the same approach appears to be in the works for OpenAI’s Atlas. It reads as part of a broader effort to hold users within Microsoft’s ecosystem, especially as interest in AI tools and fresh browser options continues to climb.