With the release of Windows 10 in 2015, Microsoft introduced a new browser, Microsoft Edge, and discontinued its twenty-year-old browser, Internet Explorer. The software giant had a lot of ambitions with this browser, the first and foremost being the most used browser in some years. For those who are unfamiliar, Microsoft Edge is essentially a UWP app that offers enhanced security and numerous other benefits.
A whole new engine, called ChakraCore, was developed, which meant the browser was built from scratch. This has many benefits, including faster browsing with optimal resource usage. They also conducted tests that show Edge is one of the fastest browsers, with minimal resource usage compared to its competitors.
While the ambition of making it the most popular browser may not be fulfilled shortly, the company continually revises its strategies to encourage more people to use its browser. The latest decision from Microsoft states that they are making Edge available on iOS and Android, starting today. Previously, Edge was exclusive only to Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile.
Blog post related to Edge Android
A blog post by Joe Belifore explained how everything would work. For iOS, it is available from today but Android users like me need to wait. First of all, you need to get into the Insider program and join the Microsoft Edge Insider preview. Please note to join the Insider preview, you need to be running an Insider build. I was thrown the following error when I tried to join the waitlist on Android:
This aligns with what Microsoft said at Build 2017. Microsoft is continually improving the cross-device experience, as their own OS is almost dead; they need to make apps available on iOS and Android, both of which have the greatest share of Mobile OS.
I would be reviewing MS Edge for Android as soon as it gets.
