What you need to know
- Microsoft Edge will now block out spammy notifications.
- Notifications will work as usual if you've already accepted them.
- Microsoft has indicated that fewer customers are lodging complaints regarding spam notifications after implementing the change.
Microsoft Edge is arguably one of the best browsers for many reasons, and Microsoft is consistently working towards enhancing its user experience by pushing more updates and features to the platform.
The company's latest efforts seek to block spam notifications. Microsoft already shipped an adaptive notification requests feature designed to show notifications users want to see based on their feedback.
• Best deals: Our best (so far)
• Best Windows laptops
• 4K and ultrawide monitor deals
• GPU deals: AMD & NVIDIA
• Motherboard deals: Intel & AMD
• NAS deals: Network-attached storage
And while this is a great feature, Microsoft is now looking to build further upon this experience. Notifications are essential to the browsing experience as they help users stay updated on important things.
Unfortunately, some websites use this as a loophole to push spam notifications to users, which is annoying. At times, it can even cause you to miss important notifications. Sites often trick users into allowing notifications, while in the real sense, it's a bid to push "spammy notifications'' to the user to get them to buy the advertised software.
Luckily, Microsoft is adding an extra layer of protection to prevent the occurrence of such instances. As highlighted by Microsoft:
Microsoft Edge already helps block known Phishing, Malware and also helps protect against misleading website typos. Now, we’re taking a stand against abusive notifications.
Microsoft
Based on feedback Microsoft has received from its customers, the company has identified the various types of notifications that most people would interpret as "spammy."
Additionally, the company has also indicated that it has removed notification privileges from websites that have been associated with spam notifications. "The Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit works with law enforcement agencies to find the source of scams like these and help protect users worldwide," said the company.
In May, Microsoft started making elaborate measures to prevent spam notifications from making their way to Edge. And from the company's findings, most of the spam notifications stemmed from unknown sites.
But if your device is running on Microsoft Edge 113 and above, "the first notification request will be shown “quietly”, with a more subtle message in the address bar, when the notification comes from an unfamiliar site."
Microsoft indicated that it's now receiving fewer complaints from users after implementing this change. That said, it's worth noting that notifications will still work as they should if you've already enabled them. Additionally, admins can make configurations to ensure that the change doesn't affect how internal apps work.
