Edge finally getting experimental flags on Android

Jul 7, 2020 20:37 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft Is betting super-big on Microsoft Edge browser, and while at first glance the company is fully-focused on the Windows 10 version, it’s actually hoping the app would be a hit on all platforms where it’s available.

The move to the Chromium engine has clearly been a wise move for Microsoft, as it allowed the company to make Edge a cross-platform offering. In other words, Edge is now available not only on Windows 10, but also on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and even macOS.

What’s more, Microsoft is also working on a Linux version of Microsoft Edge, which is truly something big for the world’s number one software company, so yes, the transition to Chrome has been a decision that really helps Microsoft in the long term.

But in addition to the desktop platforms, Edge is also offered to users on Android and iPhone. And while at first glance they don’t receive as much love as Edge on the desktop, they’re actually part of a much more ambitious plan.

Living proof in this regard is the Android version of Edge, which comes with pretty advanced functionality that keeps users tied to Microsoft’s ecosystem. In other words, Edge is part of an app arsenal whose purpose is to allow users to fully enjoy Microsoft’s products even without having its own mobile ecosystem.

As everybody knows already, Windows 10 Mobile has already been retired, so Microsoft’s betting big on Android and iOS to remain a key player in the mobile industry.

On Android, Edge comes with advanced features like sync support with the desktop, so technically, you are able to begin browsing on your PC and then continue from where you left off on the mobile and the other way around.

More recently, Microsoft has introduced another important change for Edge on Android, but this time, it’s not necessarily a new feature but something that paves the way for more big changes coming to the mobile browser. It’s an experimental flags section that allows users to try out new ideas in advance before they are released to everyone in testing builds of the app.

Also known as edge://flags, this screen allows users to enable new features in the very early days, and such capabilities have been around in desktop browsers for quite some time. But with the update to version 45.06.24.5042 on Android, Microsoft Edge now comes with an experimental flags screen too, which is living proof that the company is already planning in the long term on Google’s mobile OS.

Such a screen in Microsoft Edge is a win-win update. First and foremost, Microsoft can collect feedback on the new features it tests, which means the company gets more time to find bugs and fix them before new updates are pushed to users on production devices. And second of all, users themselves can try out new features much earlier, which for so many people is something that they absolutely love.

Of course, Edge still has a long way to go before it can become the preferred browser on mobile, but Microsoft just wants to use its browser to keep more users tied to its ecosystem. And with the company investing more aggressively in the Android world, including with its very Surface Duo device, it’s very clear this is a critical part of its long-term strategy. For the time being, however, Edge is evolving on all platforms where it’s available, and sooner or later, it can finally become the worthy Android browser that Google Chrome didn’t actually need.