14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft continues working on further refinements for Edge browser on non-Windows platforms, and iOS appears to be the next in line to receive a batch of improvements.
Today, the software giant published a new update for Microsoft Edge on iOS, with some of the features already available on the Android version, but at the same time, also including exclusive tools.
First and foremost, this new beta build of Microsoft Edge for iOS introduces intelligent visual search. This feature is already part of the Android browser offering from Microsoft, and it allows users to search the web using a photo. This works surprisingly well for landmarks, as Edge can retrieve details for a specific location by simply taking a photo with your phone.
This feature is also available in Microsoft Launcher and powered by Bing, though in this case the search needs to be performed from the search bar by simply clicking the camera icon. Intelligent visual search also supports contacts and searching for photos similar to the one you used for the search.
Still in beta stage
Additionally, this update introduces support for paste and go and paste and search in the address bar. This means that you can simply copy a word or a phrase from a different place and then paste it in the address bar to automatically load a website or perform a search.
This is a feature that debuted a long time ago on the desktop and which is already available in other mobile browsers, and it’s definitely a helpful addition for Edge users. At this point, it’s not yet available on Android.
At the same time, users are also allowed to choose a different default search engine, while school and work accounts used for Microsoft Edge can access the organization’s home page, access intranet websites, and see mobile browser activity in Windows 10 Timeline on a PC.
Keep in mind that these features are still part of the beta build of Microsoft Edge for iOS, and the software giant should release them to everyone else in the near future depending on how fast the testing process advances.