Microsoft shames power hungry programs on Windows 10

If you are running a recent stable version of Microsoft Windows 10 on a mobile device, you may have received notifications already about programs or apps that drain battery on the device.

For instance, if you run Chrome or Firefox, you may get the message that said browser is draining battery faster than Microsoft Edge.

It is unclear right now whether the notification is limited to web browsers, or if other third-party programs are shamed as well if they are more power hungry than native Windows programs.

Since Edge is not the only Windows program that is less power hungry than third-party software, Microsoft's Movies & TV apps for instance performs a lot better battery-wise than third-party media players.

Is draining your battery faster notification

The message that users may receive on a mobile Windows 10 device reads "Name is draining your battery faster. Switch to Microsoft Edge for up to x% more browsing time.".

Replace name with Chrome or Firefox for instance, and x with a percent value that shows to the user how effective Edge is in comparison to the other browser.

Some might say that this is an ad for Edge, and it is to a degree. There is no denying on the other hand that better battery life is something that is positive. It is certainly not the only factor that plays a role when selecting a web browser, but if you need to squeeze out as many browsing minutes as possible, it is worth a consideration.

I think it is a good idea to shame programs on Windows 10 that use way more battery than native programs. It is still up to you to make the switch -- temporarily or permanently -- or ignore the message and be done with it.

This is not all that different from Google pushing Chrome on its web properties. The main difference is that Chrome is advertised to users as a browser that is "more modern" than the current browser even if that is not entirely true.

The notification in Windows 10 however is based on statistics and certainly useful to users of the operating system.

It is unclear however whether Windows 10 will displays those notifications regularly once you made up your mind to continue using the less-battery friendly program, or if that is a one-time notification that won't be repeated indefinitely. (via)

Now You: What's your take on the notification in Windows 10?