Mozilla claims that OS manufacturers are pushing users to default browsers on their systems by making it difficult to switch to an alternative. Google fired back and said it’s the most popular on any platform because it’s better.
Apple, Google, Microsoft and others have essentially locked users into their web browsers by default on their OS platforms, giving platform makers an unfair advantage over competitors, according to a new report from Firefox maker Mozilla.
Mozilla researchers found that every platform creator “wants to keep people in their walled garden” by directing mobile and desktop users to Apple Safari, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. “All five of major platforms (Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft) of this era bundle their browsers with their operational systems and set them as default system on the dock or home screen,” Mozilla added in a 66-page report.
Mozilla said that while many people reported knowing how to install a browser in theory, “in practice, many people have never installed another browser.
Browser users are also worried that the switch will cause them to lose years of data like passwords, bookmarks and history, and since OS developers aren’t helping to facilitate the transfer of that data, further switching is impossible. “This increase the power to stifle competition (by doing nothing or prevent switching) or help consumers (by facilitating data transfers). ” argued Mozilla.
Compelling users into a pre-selected browser also chokes innovation, Mozilla said. For data protection and security risk, browser diversity puts people at risk. Browsers are powered by a ‘browsing engine’ that significantly affects the browser’s capabilities,” Mozilla said.
According to Mozilla, Apple requires all developers providing iOS browsers to use Apple’s own Safari WebKit engine. When a WebKit security issue occurs, all iOS browser users are equally vulnerable until Apple finds, fixes, and releases a patch. Mozilla told this only reason for different browsers. ”
Firefox definitely feels behind
In 2009, Firefox usage reached 32%, overtaking Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE 7) at the time. Along with a long list of add-ons available, Firefox is highly rated for its speed and security measures compared to its IE counterpart. But shortly after Google Chrome was launched on various platforms in 2010, Firefox began to lose steam.
Jack Gold, principal analyst at research firm J. Gold Associates, said earlier versions of Microsoft’s browsers, like the first Internet Explorer, gave users a poor experience, slow and invisible. he said there were many. All his websites that are not officially supported and running would be correct. in a nutshell. As a result, many users switch to something like Chrome or Firefox.
“But those days are largely gone, as most users will not complain about the browsing experience they have with their currently installed browser,” Gold said in an email. The real challeng for Firefox and Co is that the market is not attracting the third-party browsers for most users. recognizing an advantage over their competitors and Samsung being the only major browser engine manufacturer. This clearly shows that users have no other choice,” says Mozilla.
Google Weights
Following Mozilla’s report, a Google spokesperson said people choose Chrome because it offers the fastest, most secure and best experience regardless of platform.
“Unlike Microsoft puts up barriers to switching to other browsers where Apple requires browsers to use their WebKit which limits user choice, people use their default browser.
We make it easy to switch between browser options and use them,” said a spokesperson. Power competitive browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, Samsung Internet and Arc. ” “Most Android devices come with multiple browsers, and the browser can use any browser engine with Chrome as the browser of choice, but Chrome is not pre-installed on these operating systems.
The company also criticized Windows 10 and 11 for making it difficult for users to switch between default browsers outside of Edge. This is a previously reported claim. Windows is also said to use app URLs to prompt users to open links from emails or apps, even if the user has set a different browser default.
According to Statista, Chrome now leads by a large margin over all other browsers in the mobile and desktop markets worldwide. On mobile, Chrome holds his 62% market share.
Apple’s Safari comes second with 26%. Firefox claims less than 0.5% market share. At
desktops, Firefox leads slightly with his 7.7% market share. However, Chrome still maintains a solid lead with 67% market share. According to Statista, Edge comes second with 11%, followed by Safari with 8.5%.
UK Competition Authority Admits ‘Duopoly’
In June, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that Google and Apple had an ‘effective duopoly’ in the mobile ecosystem. says it dominates operating systems, app stores and mobile web browsers. device.
The CMA says 97% of all mobile browsing in the UK in 2021 will be in browsers powered by browser engines from Apple or Google.
“Apple prohibits alternatives to its own browser engine on its mobile devices. This is an Apple-specific limitation,” the CMA said.
Mobile devices typically come pre-installed with Google’s Chrome or Apple’s Safari, which is set as the default at the time of purchase, offering distinct advantages over the competition.
“Apple and Google both have strong positions in mobile web browsing, with combined browser market share of about 90%,” he said in the CMA report. Citing a European Commission investigation in the
report, Mozilla said some of his OS design tactics by the platform maker essentially discourage consumers from choosing another browser. rice field. paddy field. For example, in mid-2022, Windows 11 displayed a blue-highlighted message to users installing the operating system.
The use of the words “settings” and “update” implies that users may be harmed by selecting this option, e.g. because they are not using the latest version, he claimed Mozilla.
“We believe that if people had a meaningful opportunity to try alternative browsers, they would find many to be compelling substitutes to the default bundled with their operating system,” Mozilla’s report said. “Platforms can and should do better for consumers and developers.”
Google cites its open standards
Google has discovered that investments in open source browser engines and open web standards have made the web more interoperable and better for developers. Open standards have also benefited developers. A developer can build new browsers with different consumer facing features without worrying about his website not working properly on different devices and different browsers.
Regarding Apple and his WebKit, Google backed Mozilla, saying Apple’s claims that developers were using his WebKit for security he said were refuted by the CMA. Also, according to Google, Webkit has proven to take longer to fix bugs than other major browser engines.
According to Gold, the bottom line is that the browser that comes standard with the system dominates the market.
“Is that a monopoly? We have been fined in the EU just as we were fined,” said Gold.
