14 DAY TRIAL // A feature that was first discovered in experimental builds of Google Chrome has now made its way to the Chromium-powered version of Microsoft Edge as well.
The two browsers being based on the same engine means they can borrow features one from another, so the feature gap between the two is substantially reduced after Microsoft’s transition to Chromium.
Most recently, the idea that makes its migration from Google Chrome to Microsoft Edge is a QR code generator that allows users to easily share websites by simply scanning a QR code.
Technically, the way this feature works is rather simple: users only need to launch the QR code generator to create a QR code which when scanned points the browser to a specific website. This QR code can then be scanned with a mobile phone or sent on mail or other messaging apps for fast sharing of a specific link.
Experimental flag
Still in testing, the QR code generator lands in Microsoft Edge Canary as an experimental flag, so you need to manually enable it to see the new button in the browser UI. Once the flag is activated, Microsoft Edge should display a “QR code” button in the address bar to generate the code for the page that you are currently browsing.
“Enables right-click UI to share the page’s URL via a generated QR code,” the flag description reads, adding that this feature works on both Windows and Mac.
As pointed on reddit, the feature is still buggy, but this isn’t necessarily surprising given that it’s still in the early days in Microsoft Edge. Microsoft and Google will further polish it in the coming updates, so expect it to make its debut in Canary versions of Edge and Chrome in the next few weeks. No ETA is available on the launch in stable browsers.