Microsoft Edge Mobile Arrives On iOS And Android

Steve McCaskill,

Microsoft releases Edge Mobile and launches a preview for its Android launcher

Microsoft is looking to extend its mobile influence with the launch of its Edge browser for iOS and Android and a new version of the Microsoft Launcher for Android.

Edge was first released as part of Windows 10 as the successor for the much-maligned Internet Explorer, promising speed and new features.

However unlike rivals such as Safari and Google Chrome, it had not been able to offer cross-platform browsing, until now. Microsoft said it had been a much requested feature and the hope is that it will increase Edge’s market share.

Microsoft Launcher 2

Microsoft Edge

“Microsoft Edge for iOS and Android brings familiar features like your Favorites, Reading List, New Tab Page and Reading View across your PC and phone, so, no matter the device, your browsing goes with you,” said Joe Belfiore, head of Windows and devices at Microsoft.

“But what makes Microsoft Edge really stand out is the ability to continue on your PC, which enables you to immediately open the page you’re looking at right on your PC—or save it to work on later.”

The iOS edition is available in preview, with an Android edition promised soon. It is only available in US English (sorry Brits) and it won’t work on iPad or Android tablets for the time being. However more languages and functions will be added as the preview expands.

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To get the most out of the ‘Continue on PC’ features, users will have to install the Fall Creators Update on Windows 10 however.

The Microsoft Launcher is a continuation of the Arrow Launcher project and sees a customised homepage open when Android users hit the home button on their device. Here, a feed with events, activities, news and most-used apps is displayed and users can continue activities on their PC.

Microsoft largely missed the boat on mobile and although it offers a mobile version of Windows 10, the company has shifted its focus onto delivering apps and services to as many devices as possible, regardless of platform.

This includes Office 365, Bing and Cortana, and now it hopes Edge will help it crack the browser market it used to dominate at a time when browsing is becoming increasingly mobile.

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