Microsoft officially made its flagship browser and Internet Explorer replacement, Edge, compatible with both Android and iOS devices. Although it faces stiff competition from the likes of Chrome and Safari, features that sync your device with your Windows PC may give it a boost in the ongoing mobile browser wars.
Though there may be plenty of alternative browsers on both Android and iOS, the default options of Chrome and Safari are near monopolies on their respective platforms. Edge is unlikely to change that dynamic, though Microsoft clearly hopes that its feature set will draw in some new users.
Along with expected features like favorites, reading lists, a new tab page, and reading view, Microsoft is also adding roaming passwords, so you can continue a browsing experience from PC to phone. If you save a password on your PC, you will be able to use that same login system on your mobile device, too.
In fact, the entire browsing experience can be interchangeable between the two platforms, so you can browse on your phone and then, as Microsoft puts it: “immediately open the page you’re looking at right on your PC — or save it to work on later.”
For those who like browsing late at night, Microsoft also introduced a new dark theme to the app.
However, this isn’t the end of Edge’s feature rollouts. Microsoft pledged to continue updating the application on all platforms, with plans for new feature reveals in the future. Microsoft is also actively seeking out feedback, especially when it comes to new feature ideas, as it is keen to hear what people want Edge on mobile to be capable of.
Those looking to get access to the new app can download it straight from the iOS App Store, or the Android Google Play Store. Supported languages at the time of launch include U.S. and U.K. English, French, and simplified Chinese on iOS, while the Android version enjoys support for the same, plus Canadian English/French, Australian English, and Indian English. Other languages and markets will be targeted over time.
