14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft announced that it’s bringing the Windows 10 browser to iOS and Android, and iPhone users are the first that are invited to give a try to Edge on their devices, with all the other versions for iPad and Android phones and tablets to land at a later time.
Still in preview at this point, Microsoft Edge can be installed on iPhones as part of Apple’s test Flight system, but because of the limitations set by the Cupertino-based tech giant, only 10,000 users are allowed to register for the program.
Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore confirmed on Twitter that this is a temporary restriction, while also revealing that users need to be enrolled in the Windows Insider program to be allowed to install Edge on iPhone.
“Because Apple limits beta to 10k people, we are initially limiting to Windows Insiders. Temporary restriction so we can test with PC,” Belfiore explained on Twitter. “Right now we require users to be Windows Insiders with a recent RS3 build. We verify this by opening Edge (PC) and checking UA,” he continued,
Native rendering
Additionally, Belfiore also confirmed that Edge uses a different engine on iOS and Android as compared to Windows, and this only happens because of the requirements introduced by Apple and Google.
“On both platforms we use the native web rendering platform for best battery life, system integration… Just like on PC,” he explained.
As a result, Microsoft Edge uses Apple WebKit on iOS and Google Blink on Android, but Microsoft promises flawless performance despite the switch to a different engine.
Microsoft Edge arrives on Android and iOS with features that have already been available on these two platforms for a long time, such as content synchronization between devices. Microsoft, however, is betting big on the “Continue on PC” feature which makes it possible for mobile users to continue from where they left off browsing on their PC when switching between mobile and desktop.