14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has made a small update to the Windows Insider program recently, as it decided to publish a series of posts in the Insider Hub to show Windows 10 users running preview builds how their feedback influences the development of the operating system.
In the latest such article, Microsoft explains how the Edge browser interface changed based on user feedback, and provides us with a little bit more information on how the address bar moved from the bottom of the screen in Windows Phone to the top in early Windows 10 Mobile builds and then back to the bottom in the latest updates.
Microsoft says it was all just a matter of experimenting with different designs, but keeping the address bar at the bottom of the screen seems to be a really big deal for those who use Windows Phone (if you’re a Windows Insider, you might remember that quite a lot of people criticized the company for moving the address bar at the top of the screen, just like on Android and iOS, so every little change is critical for the community).
The “stable” Windows 10 Mobile version
But in the latest Windows 10 Mobile builds, including the “stable” one installed on Lumia 950 and 950 XL, the address bar is at the bottom of the screen, just like it was in Windows Phone.
“When we designed the new user interface for Microsoft Edge on the phone, we decided to go with a look that was more consistent with the PC version and with other mobile browsers. The address bar was on the top of the screen, and the toolbar was on the bottom,” the post reads.
“We thought users would find this more familiar and comfortable, and while that may still be true for some users, we heard the feedback loud and clear from our faithful fans who were previously users of Internet Explorer for Windows Phone. You like the address bar on the bottom, and for many of you, it was a key reason you preferred Windows Phone over the competition. It was a fair bit of work, but we moved it back to the bottom quickly as we could before the public release.”
Certainly, there’s a lot to improve about Edge in Windows 10, and one eagerly anticipated feature is extension support, but for the moment, Microsoft doesn’t seem to be ready to share more info on this one. Hopefully, more such details would be provided as we get closer to the rumored summer release date.