Microsoft appears to add extension support for Edge on Android

Microsoft has added preliminary support for extensions in the latest version of Microsoft Edge for Android. As spotted by the leaker (Leopeva64) in the Canary Channel preview builds, Microsoft has enabled an option to download and install extensions directly in the browser app.

As seen in Lance Adams' posts on X, users can access an "Extensions Beta" page. This page features popular Chrome-based extensions like Dark Reader, Global Speed, and uBlock Origin.

This brings Edge for Android in line with the desktop version, which has long supported a wide range of extensions, from ad blockers to productivity tools. It's a big step because it allows Edge users to enhance their mobile browsing with the same customizations they rely on for productivity and blocking distracting ads and trackers.

The new feature is currently hidden in the Edge Canary version 123 beta channel. It is expected to be released to beta testers by the end of February. So, Edge users can get a head start on customizing their mobile browsing by downloading the Canary version from the Google Play Store.

Since Chrome lacks official extension support on mobile, this gives Edge an early advantage if implemented smoothly. Google may feel pressure to respond in kind and open up Chrome to extensions on Android as well. However, there have been no announcements indicating plans to do so.

In addition to extention support, Microsoft Edge for Android and iOS has a new name. The company recently renamed its mobile browser from just "Microsoft Edge" to "Microsoft Edge: AI browser," clearly highlighting where it focuses most of its efforts nowadays.

In the meantime, Microsoft released Edge 122.0.2365.3 yesterday in the Dev Channel. It added a translate icon in the PDF toolbar and a "New" badge to the context menu to indicate recently added features. In addition, there are plenty of fixes and minor improvements across the browser.