Microsoft Launches Edge Browser Beta For Android And iOS

by Brandon Hill — Thursday, October 05, 2017, 11:32 AM EDT

Microsoft's Edge browser hasn't exactly been well received on the Windows 10 operating system. Globally, Microsoft Edge has just a 5 percent share of the web browser market, while Chrome is dominating the field with a whopping 60 percent. With its desktop share not looking so hot these days, Microsoft is focusing its attention to the mobile sector.

Microsoft Edge is already available on Windows 10 Mobile, but that's a dying platform. So, the company is extending the browser to the Android and iOS platforms in Preview (Beta) form. According to Microsoft, it made this move because users were telling the company “we want our browser experience to move to our phones”.

As a result, Microsoft Edge for Android and iOS brings with it a number of features that you would find on its desktop counterpart including your Favorites, Reading List, New Tab Page and Reading View. But the feature that Microsoft seems to be most proud about is the "Continue On PC" feature. As the name implies, you can start reading a webpage on your iPhone 8 or Galaxy Note 8, for example, and then pickup instantly right where you left off on your brand-new ThinkPad 25 Anniversary Edition.

We should note that the Continue on PC feature is only available when running the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. So, if you want to try out the beta right now, you'll need to be running an Insider Preview version of the Fall Creators Update, or wait until the software is made publicly available on October 17^th.

Since this latest mobile incarnation of Microsoft Edge is currently in beta, you won't find tab syncing (which is a big omission) or support for pen highlighting (which would come in handy with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil). You also won't find integrated support for the Cortana digital assistant.

For those that are heavy users of Edge on Windows 10, this seems like a no-brainer piece of software to try out on your Android or iOS device. In a way, Microsoft is trying to mimic the synergy of Chrome on Windows 10 with its complementary iOS/Android apps or macOS Safari users that use the mobile app on an iPhone or iPad.

To sign up for the Microsoft Edge Preview for Android and iOS, check out the following link.

Microsoft also announced a preview build of the Microsoft Launcher, which is the next evolution of the Arrow Launch that is currently available for Android devices. Microsoft Launcher was built using Google's Fluent design language and gives you quick access to your recent photos, documents, and your oft-used contacts. Microsoft Launcher also supports the Continue on PC functionality found in the Microsoft Edge Preview.

You can join the Microsoft Launcher Preview here.

Tags: Android, Microsoft, ios, (NASDAQ:AAPL), (nasdaq:msft), microsoft edge

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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