Microsoft will allow you to uninstall Bing and Edge, but only in Europe

Microsoft has expanded the applications of its operating system that can be uninstalled from its Edge browser and its Bing search engine, a novelty that will apply in the European Economic Area (EEA) to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) .

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The preview of the Windows 11 security update, corresponding to 23H2 and build 22631.2787, includes a series of new features to adapt the operating system to the Digital Markets Law, which will be effective on March 6 of next year.

On the one hand, the company will more clearly identify the functionalities and applications of the operating system in the System section of the Configuration menu; in the list of all applications, which will have the callsign ‘system’; and in the search results, from the search integrated into the taskbar, which will also be recognized with the ‘system’ label.

Microsoft Edge (Photo: Microsoft)

On the other hand, and although according to Microsoft “all Windows applications can be uninstalled” and reinstalled when needed from the Microsoft Store, it has expanded this ability to delete to a list of applications that Windows includes by default: Camera, Cortana and Photos, but also search with Bing and the Edge browser.

The company clarifies on the Windows Insider blog that the possibility of uninstalling Bing and Edge is limited to the European Economic Area, and responds to the need to adapt the operating system to the DMA.

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Likewise, and also limited to the European Economic Area, it has announced “two new points of interoperability available”: ‘feeds’ in the Windows ‘widgets’ Panel and Web Search in Windows Search (the search bar in the taskbar ).

Interoperability points, according to Microsoft, are application-based, making it easier for developers to integrate third-party experiences into Windows applications. For example, in the case of feeds, quick access to a variety of third-party content directly from the desktop can be integrated into the Widget Panel. Other search providers can be integrated into Search.

Additionally, the company will introduce a notification that will ask Microsoft account users if they want to synchronize it with Windows so that the data from this operating system “is available on their other Windows devices and in the Microsoft products in which they log in.” ”.

It will also ask if, when installing new applications, users want to change their status to default. The company details that “in the EEA, Windows will always use the default application settings configured by customers for link and file types, including industry-standard browser link types (http, https).”

Source: Elcomercio