@Elliot Kirk
There's been a lot of feedback on both sides here, but at the very least it's clear that this is extremely controversial and you should think hard if and how you do it. Honestly nobody knows the full makeup or views of the majority Edge users more than Microsoft. The people here are a self selecting group.
That said, a few things stand out to me:
- Microsoft spent a substantial amount of time REMOVING Google services from Chromium.
- Adding it back in a way that reintroduces ANY possibility of unwanted Google data collection would be counter to this effort.
- The people who know about the effort to remove Google services from Edge are clearly very excited that Microsoft did this, and many people likely use Edge specifically because of this. I am one of those people.
- Let's be honest though - most people probably use Edge for the same reason they used IE - it was the default of their computer. These people probably don't know its even possible to sign into Chrome, how to synchronize bookmarks to a phone, or what Chrome even is.
It is just not clear to me what the benefit of signing into Google sync is.
You can use Gmail, YouTube, etc on Edge just fine by signing into those websites. If people want full Google integration, there is literally a browser meant for that. Chrome. They should use Chrome. Why are they on Edge?
Maybe the reason is to use Edge on the desktop but to get it to sync to your Android phone? Or for people who can't install Chrome at work but want Edge to stay in sync with their personal computer? These sound like edge cases (pun intended) and should be addressed with an extension. Perhaps it should be an extension for Chrome or Android to update with Microsoft services data, not an extension in Edge to add Google data. Perhaps the same should exist for iCloud/Safari (if that's even possible). I just don't understand why someone would be adamant about using Edge while also only syncing via a Google account. You have an import process on first run. Who are you trying to woo over that would require exclusively Google sync? Don't make any changes until you fully understand the answer to this question.
If the concern is people want their bookmarks or tabs on their phone, the solution isn't to add Google sync, its to make Edge on mobile (and Edge sync) attractive enough to get people to use it on other devices. If you do integrate Google sync, I would integrate MANY sync services. Google, iCloud, Mozilla, etc. Make it standardized on how it handles the problem, as well as sandboxed in what it can do. Don't just add Google services back to Chrome. Add a bridge for syncing data over a contained and limited process so Google can't retroactively get their tentacles into Edge users, and so privacy supporters don't feel deterred by the addition.
This strikes me as the perfect scenario for an extension or a sandboxed "generic sync services" option. Not for reGoogling Edge.
