Microsoft to add support for extensions on Edge browser for Android: Report

Microsoft Edge web browser for Android devices would get support for extensions, according to a news report on 9to5Google. It essentially means Android users would be able to install add-on extensions for specific tasks on the Edge browser, similar to the desktop version.

According to 9to5Google, the feature is in its early phase, hidden behind a flag in Edge version 123. Extensions will be available for beta testing in the later half of February, with a public roll-out expected next month.

In a related post, analyst Lance Adams on X points out that multiple extensions such as “Dark Reader,” “Global Speed,” and “uBlock Origin” are already available on a page named “Extensions Beta” on the Edge browser app. The page can be accessed by typing in edge://extensions/ into the address bar. When enabled, a new “Extensions” section appears in the Browser’s overflow menu.

Last month, Microsoft rolled out a major Edge browser update for smartphones with more AI-powered Copilot features. Available on both iOS and Android apps for the browser, the updated Edge gets plugin support for AI-assistant Copilot, similar to the desktop version. Copilot for Edge on smartphones can also summarise YouTube videos playing on the browser that have transcripts or subtitles.

Microsoft also rolled-out a separate mobile app for Copilot on both Android and iOS platforms. The app allows users to access OpenAI’s GPT-4 model and DALL-E 3 in a free tier for text responses and image generation.