Thanks to DMA, you'll soon be able to uninstall Edge from Windows 11 a whole lot easier
Google & Apple have also made changes to their products.
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Key notes
- European Digital Market Act (DMA) triggers updates from Microsoft.
- The confirmed update simplifies process for uninstalling Edge and Bing
- Taskbar now accommodates third-party web apps for easier access, among other things.
The European Digital Market Act (DMA) has finally been in place since early March 2024. Microsoft, as one of the companies designated as gatekeepers, is making changes to its products. One of them is letting you uninstall Edge from Windows 11 and 10 a whole lot easier — and Microsoft has also confirmed several changes that were made in compliance with this.
While it’s been around for quite some time, the Redmond company confirms that the new update lets you remove Edge and Bing, the default web browser and search engine, like you would uninstall any other Windows program through Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
Not just that, but Windows is also opening its doors to a wider ecosystem. Third-party web applications can now be pinned to the taskbar for easier access, and the widgets panel, a new feature in recent updates, will no longer be limited to Microsoft-curated content.
The update also brings a shift in the sign-in experience. Previously, users were automatically signed into certain Microsoft services upon logging into Windows. Now, the sign-in process will be more transparent, allowing users to choose which services they want to connect to, including Bing and Edge.
Besides these subtle yet needed design changes to Windows OS, Microsoft also says that they’re implementing new security measures to enhance user privacy. Now, if you’re a Windows user in Europe, data that Microsoft gathers from your PC won’t be used to give the company an unfair advantage over other app providers.
Other companies, such as Google and Apple, have also come forward to bring changes to their products. Google tweaked its search engine experience and Apple said they’d spent “tens of thousands of hours” on the DMA App Store solution.
