Microsoft forcing Edge browser webview on Outlook for Android app users

https://outlook.uservoice.com/forums/293346-outlook-for-android/suggestions/39984514-add-a-setting-to-disable-this-new-built-in-browser

by alok-g • 6 years ago

42 38 6 years ago

outlook.uservoice.com

alok-g• 6 years ago

Here are excerpts from my communication with support on the issue. The paragraphs starting with >> are written by me.

> How to open links in external default browser directly
> Details: For the last few updates, when I click links in an email, Outlook app first opens the links in an embedded browser, which then has a menu command to open in (an external) browser. I would like to open in the default browser directly like it used to be before. Thanks.

Due to the new Edge Webview feature that is rolling out, links open in the app, but we are listening to your feedback! Feel free to help us make Outlook better by suggesting it as a feature if you think that would be a nice addition. Just go to Settings -> Help and Feedback -> Suggest a Feature. Developments are made based on the statistics generated by the users in this area, so don't forget to voice your wishes there! Thanks! Bye!

> Edge webview may be rolling out, but that is no reason for Microsoft to impose Edge browser onto users. My preferred choice for browser is not Edge.
> Why should this thing even be under suggest a feature? I am not asking for a feature. I am asking what Microsoft is imposing as a 'feature' onto the users to be taken out.
> https://outlook.uservoice.com/forums/293346-outlook-for-andr...
> https://www.reddit.com/r/Outlook/comments/hndgxn/outlook_for...
> I guess it's getting into the old habits, hmm!

Sincere apologies for any inconvenience this problem has caused you. At the moment, all the links will open in the "Edge Browser" an inbuilt browser of the Outlook Mobile app. To view the links on your default web browser you need to tap on "3 Dots" at the bottom and tap on "Open in my browser" However, I believe this is a great suggestion hence I do recommend that you suggest this feature on the direct channel which directly reviewed by the development team. Developments are made based on the statistics generated by the users in this area, so don't forget to voice your wishes there! Just tap the App Settings Help and Feedback Suggest a Feature page. Vote it up!

We might not have all the features you are looking for but we are getting there slowly.

> No, Outlook for Android was already opening links in the browser of my choice. It's getting 'away' from that. Just because Edge browser is rolling out!

That has been changed, but we may have the feature back per users' requests!

GekkePrutser• 6 years ago

Microsoft is so aggressive pushing edge. Not just at consumers but at work as well. Personally I don't see the benefit since it's become a Chrome clone, why not use the real Chrome if you want it. Though I'm a Firefox person.

But for me personally MS has proven not being able to handle a browser monopoly with IE which became stale when they reached that goal. I don't want to support them getting there again.

pjmlp3• 6 years ago

Because it uses the Chrome rendering engine alongside Windows specific features.

It is much more than just a Chrome clone.

pojntfx4• 6 years ago

One might even say they've ... embraced & extended it?

dgellow3• 6 years ago

An argument to use Edge: because it's not Google. That's enough for me. Anything that brings competition to any Google owned property is something good in my humble opinion.

exlurker2• 6 years ago

I've found Ungoogled Chromium very satisfying lately. https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium

Meph504• 6 years ago

if you office 365 at work, the browser login is shared with office 365 and the home page can be set to a page that integrates with your onedrive/teams/groups/sharepoint files.

On a side note, it is somewhat insane to me, that the new edge limits syncing of work account info to enterprise only customers, and non office 365 users.

If they would allow sync functions for all tiers, it would be really hard to advocate chrome over edge.

other than their complete asshole force update method, which is a different topic, but insanely frustrating.

The do it in tiers they choose, so random people across the company are getting it at different time. Even if it is undo, and rolled back, they will redo the upgrade the next time updates are done. Because of this, there is a growing amount of bad blood against the new edge.

And let us not forget the stupid fucking name, having a conversation and researching shit, "new edge", "old edge", "chrome edge." Have the stones to rebrand when you make a significant product change.

AndrewDucker• 6 years ago

I don't really care that it's Edge they're using. But I do really object to applications that open links internally rather than in my browser. Where my cookies and bookmarks and passwords are. And I'm already logged in to the sites I use most.

lol768• 6 years ago

They can do this in a way that preserves your cookies, bookmarks etc by using the custom tabs API and it'll even respect your browser choice (e.g. it works with Firefox).

shtam• 6 years ago

Particularly annoyingly, my password manager (Lastpass) stops working, as it thinks the website context is a Microsoft domain, so suggests irrelevant usernames/passwords.

To be fair the same happens with any app that does this (e.g. LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook), so maybe it's Lastpass's bug. But I get zero value from the captured webview, so on balance I'd strongly prefer if app developers stopped doing this.

jlokier• 6 years ago

Although it's annoying for logins, I really like that LinkedIn doesn't seem to retain cookie state in its in-app browser.

It's a bit like using a private browsing window. Every time I go to something from LinkedIn, it asks me for permission to hold cookies all over again, and this gives me confidence that the site isn't getting any cookies, and my logged in identity on Google (in my regular browser) isn't being tracked by the visited site.

It was annoying when I wanted to follow links to my regular browser, until I noticed that from the WebView there's a way to "share" to another browser (and also an "open in Firefox Focus"), and I can take it forward from there if I want.

nsonha3• 6 years ago

To play the devil's advocate here. There are many app that have the option for opening link in them (facebook, twitter, reddit, the HN client Materialistic...). The reason for that I'm guessing is that when you are in the "reading mode" which can be the case for links in email, you don't want to go to another app an back, you just want to read/skim the thing and go back to your master view with the rest of the emails. In addition, actually think this is a good thing to shield user from tracking and unintended authorization. You're just one more touch away if you really need to be logged in some services.

Ntrails• 6 years ago

I wish there was a way to disable "WOULD YOU RATHER USE THE APP OR CONTINUE IN YOUR BROWSER" popup forever. It's a webpage. I'm going to open it like a webpage

Symbiote• 6 years ago

I think a good part of the reason is so Facebook/Twitter/Reddit/Metiralistic can continue to track the user.

I want everything to open in Firefox on Android, so uBlock etc can operate as normal. I don't know how it works, but often pressing "back" takes me back to my email etc, leaving other open Firefox tabs as they were.

0xdeadb00f• 6 years ago

I don't think Materialistic uses it to track users.

The browser tab on the side, is quite handy for switching between article and comments.

It's just a good feature, and they don't roll their own Webview either. It's open source too: https://github.com/hidroh/materialistic

andybak2• 6 years ago

you don't want to go to another app and back

Why would the user care?

Switching to your default browser on mobile is usually instantaneous. I.e. there's no downside compared to launching a webview.

nsonha3• 6 years ago

there is an annoying animation, hardly instantaneous

SimeVidas• 6 years ago

What if Edge isn’t installed? Or does the the Outlook app include Edge in the app itself just for that webview?

The Outlook app is 60 MB, Edge is 70 MB.

WhyNotHugo• 6 years ago

Gmail does the same on iOS. And they also lie about it.

On iOS, it prompts if you want to either download Chrome, or use Safari. If you tap safari, it doesn't open safari, but a webview inside Gmail.

Note that, while the rendering engine is the same, an app can't spy on my navigation on safari, but it _can_ on a webview it spawned.

ethansinjin• 6 years ago

Gmail on iOS uses SFSafariViewController, which runs in a separate process from Gmail.app and can’t be interacted with, unlike WKWebview.

My guess is that they ran metrics and decided that keeping users in the Gmail app window led to longer engagement than opening Safari..

mumblerino• 6 years ago

The rendering engine of a webview is irrelevant to the end user, Edge is just as capable.

What I hate is that all of these apps unnecessarily wrap a web view at all.

I’m surprised that Apple allows Google and Facebook to break the native browser experience for no good reason. I hope Apple starts blocking this and Android follows suit.

Microsoft forcing Edge browser webview on Outlook for Android app users

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