The new Microsoft Edge browser that is based on Chromium has just been released officially; the previews of the browser are available for Windows 10 only and some channels are missing at the time of writing but releases for other supported platforms and the first final build are not too far away at this point.

One of the core questions that users may have is about the differences between the Chromium-based Google Chrome browser and the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser: how different are the two browsers?

It is clear that the browsers use the same core, Chromium, and that they look similar on first glance.

Microsoft published a list of services that it replaces or disabled in the Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge recently (it may have leaked only, but it is publicly available).

The list is huge at this point; it includes Google specific services for the most part. Here is a screenshot that lists disabled or replaced services.

Here is the list of services:

Safe browsing, Speech input, Nearby messages, Google Pay, Link Doctor, Drive API, Ad blocking, Chrome OS hardware id, User data sync, Device registration, Spellcheck, Google Maps Time zone, Suggest, Google Cloud Storage, Translate, Cloud Print, SmartLock, Google DNS, Form Fill, Supervised Profiles, Push Notifications, Address Format, WebStore, Network Location, Extension Store, Network Time, Maps Geolocation, Favicon service, Google Now, Google Cloud Messaging, Single sign-on (Gaia), Content Hash Fetcher, Flighting Service, Component Updater Service, RAPPORT service, Chrome OS monitor calibration, Chrome OS device management, Android app password sync, Offline Page Service Feedback, Domain Reliability Monitoring, Data Reduction Proxy, Chrome Cleanup, Developer Tools Remote, Debugging, iOS Promotion Service, One Google Bar Download, Brand Code Configuration Fetcher, WebRTC Logging, Captive Portal Service.

Microsoft does not distinguish between turned off and replaced services. Some are clear, e.g. Safe Browsing was replaced with Windows Defender SmartScreen, and User data sync with Microsoft's own synchronization technology.

Some Google-specific services can also be identified, e.g. Google Play, Chrome Cleanup, Google Now, Data Reduction Proxy, or One Google Bar Download.

Microsoft plans to introduce some features like Spellcheck in future versions of Edge. I'd like to see a translation feature added to the browser; the classic Microsoft Edge does not support this either, but it would be a welcome addition in my opinion.

Services that communicate with Google or are powered by Google are affected for the most part; this is a distinguishing factor of Microsoft Edge when you compare it to other Chromium-based browsers.

It would be interesting to see lists of removed or replaced Chromium features of other Chromium-based browsers such as Vivaldi or Opera.

Now You: What would you like to see in the new Edge? (via Deskmodder / Walking Cat)

Summary Article Name Microsoft Edge: list of disabled or replaced Chromium services Description Microsoft published a list of services that it replaces or disabled in the Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge recently. Author Martin Brinkmann Publisher Ghacks Technology News Logo

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