14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser could come with a new feature that would make it possible to switch user agents automatically in order to deliver higher quality content to users.
Because it’s based on Chromium, the updated Microsoft Edge would technically identify as Chromium most of the time, which makes it compatible with the majority of websites out there.
This is because Chromium is the engine that powers Chrome, and since Google’s app is currently the number one browser on both desktop and mobile, the whole web is already optimized for it. In other words, using Chromium would make Microsoft Edge compatible with these browsers too.
But at the same time, the original version of Microsoft Edge also comes with a series of exclusive gimmicks, including support for Netflix in 4K, for instance.
Stable Edge coming later this year
Microsoft doesn’t want to lose them by migrating to Chromium, so the browser would be able to switch from Chromium to Microsoft Edge when required. For example, when loading Netflix, the browser would be labeled as Microsoft Edge and not as Chromium in order to deliver 4K performance.
As per GHacks, this is possible thanks to a configuration file that would specifically list all websites where a different user agent is required. Microsoft Edge would thus verify this list whenever a new link is provided, and in case it’s mentioned here, the browser switches the user agent and loads the page as Microsoft Edge for higher quality content.
The browser is currently available as a preview, and it is projected to go live for everyone later this year in stable builds. Microsoft Edge will be available not only on Windows 10, but also on older version of Windows, like Windows 7 and 8.1, and on macOS. A Linux version of the browser hasn’t been confirmed just yet.