Microsoft has a new way to twist your arm to use Edge, this time on mobile

(Image credit: Getty Images | SOPA)

Microsoft Edge for Android has some new image themes in testing. The latest Edge Canary build has some snazzy backgrounds, but to set them you have to make Edge your default browser.

It's a strange requirement that may ruffle some feathers, but there's always a chance it will change. The requirement to set Edge as your default browser to use the themes only appears in Edge Canary. That rule may not roll out to general availability.

The change was spotted by Leo Varela, who tracks updates and changes to Edge and other browsers.

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Microsoft has added new image themes in Edge Canary for Android, but to use them as your NTP background, you have to set Edge as your default browser. All browsers use tactics to motivate you to make them your default, and Edge is no exception 🤷 https://t.co/sK1xv7W0RC pic.twitter.com/VVIPywivm2August 21, 2026

Microsoft has a long history of trying to convince people to use Edge. Some efforts, such as adding unique features are viewed as fair play. Other tactics, such as Windows 11 making it more difficult to switch your default browser, have been met with criticism.

A recent survey commissioned by the Browser Choice Alliance suggests that switching away from Edge is too difficult. But that survey relates to PC users. Microsoft has a different battle on Android.

Instead of having hundreds of millions of users with PCs that already have Edge installed, Microsoft needs to convince people to download Edge for Android. Then, the tech giant needs to get people to set Edge as their default browser, which is no easy task.

I imagine the amount of people who have installed Edge on their phones but have not set the browser as their default is small. Considering how niche Edge is on Android, anyone who goes out of their way to install it probably plans to use Edge.

Some Samsung phones come with Edge preinstalled, so perhaps the new picture themes in Edge are designed to sway those users.

Of course, Microsoft is not alone in using aggressive methods to push a browser. Google and Apple have also pushed Chrome and Safari, respectively.

I'm curious to see how effective locking picture themes behind a default setting requirment will be for Edge.

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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.