Microsoft Edge web browser is about to offer a new and smarter way to deal with the “Allow Notifications?” pop-up message. The Chromium-based web browser is crowd-sourcing information to determine how it deals with the rather annoying pop-ups.
Microsoft is about to deploy a new solution for the “Would you like to allow notifications from this website” requests that users see whenever they visit a website. The Windows 10 OS maker will rely on crowdsourced information to decide whether to allow the notification or suppress it automatically.
Microsoft Edge v88 to get ‘Adaptive Notification Requests’ which relies on crowdsourced information:
The number of websites seeking user consent to push notifications has risen exponentially. However, several users often click on the Block or Don’t Allow button.
A single click is all that it takes to make the notification vanish. However, internet users are increasingly witnessing them. Different web browsers deal with the ‘Allow Notifications’ pop-up message in their own way.
Microsoft Edge has adopted an interesting method of dealing with the Allow Notifications’ pop-up message. The browser will now observe the user behavior pertaining to these notifications.
Microsoft Edge introduces "adaptive notification requests," which will only show you pop-ups asking you to allow notifications for sites where a reasonably percentage of visitors have clicked that option. Otherwise, notification requests will be silent. https://t.co/0mLw7y9zAP
— Liliputing (@liliputingnews) February 17, 2021
Particularly, Microsoft Edge will observe which notifications users are blocking. Microsoft will then collate and analyze the information. Based on the average user response to the ‘Allow Notifications’ pop-up message, the browser will take the relevant action.
To offer a simple example, say a website is pushing such notifications, and the majority of internet users choose to ignore or block them. Microsoft will observe if users ignore the request or click the block button to make sure they never see it again.
The company will collect the relevant data. If it observes the majority doesn’t want the notifications, it will stop showing new users the notification request in the future.
Microsoft already ‘silences’ the ‘Allow Notifications’ pop-up message:
Interestingly, Microsoft already silences the Allow Notifications pop-up messages. In the current stable version of Microsoft Edge, the browser has these requests in ‘Quiet’ mode.
The Edge browser already “blocks” all such notifications. The browser converts the message into a non-intrusive bell icon and places the same in the address bar. Users click the icon to opt-in.
The new Adaptive Notification Requests method is attempting to strike a balance between showing users notification requests that they may actually want and hiding the ones they don’t. Websites that users overwhelmingly avoid getting notifications from, will be automatically “silenced”.
"Adaptive notification requests" -> Microsoft Edge won’t show you notification requests other people ignore or block
It's rolling out in Edge 88: https://t.co/jAYEjMmFSz pic.twitter.com/5ZDg0Wk4rb
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) February 17, 2021
Incidentally, Microsoft Edge users can still reportedly re-enable Quiet Notification requests. Users need to go to Settings > Cookies and Site Permissions > Notifications to toggle them back on. Microsoft will also turn on Quiet Notifications automatically if users click “block” on three notification requests in a row.
Microsoft Edge will also automatically ‘Block’ notifications from a site if a user dismisses a request with the X button three times in a row or ignores it by clicking elsewhere on the page four times in a row.