Microsoft Edge on Android gets support for extensions, Chrome «lags behind»

Microsoft has been upgrading its Edge browser and finally did what Google Chrome doesn’t dare to do — add support for Android extensions.

Previously, this feature was available only in the test version, but now users of the stable Edge build can install extensions. The first experiments with extensions in Edge for Android began in early 2024.

Last year, Microsoft allowed them to run in the Canary test version through a hidden checkbox in the settings, but the browser supported only two extensions. During the year of testing, Microsoft expanded the list of add-ons and optimized the functions to an acceptable level. The extension store is now officially available to everyone.

How to install the extension on Edge for Android?

To test the new feature, just update Microsoft Edge to v134.0.3124.57 via Google Play. After that, a new button «Extensions» will appear in the browser menu, which opens access to Microsoft store.

At the start, 22 extensions are available, including:

• Tampermonkey — an extension for managing user scripts
• Dark Reader — dark theme mode for websites
• Browsec VPN — a virtual private network for secure Internet browsing
• Bitwarden Password Manager — password manager
• Keepa-Amazon Price Tracker — track prices on Amazon
• Nord VPN — a virtual private network to protect your Internet connection
• Immersive Translate — a tool for translating web pages
• Auto Refresh Plus — automatically refreshes web pages
• Sponsorblock for YouTube — block sponsored content on YouTube
• Violentmonkey — custom script manager
• Cookie-Editor — cookie editor
• I don’t care about cookies — block notifications about cookies
• Unhook-Remove YouTube related videos — remove linked videos on YouTube
• User-Agent Switcher — change the user-agent of the browser
• Global Speed — control the speed of video and audio playback
• Location Guard — protection of location information
• AdGuard VPN — virtual private network to protect your Internet connection
• AIX Downloader — downloader of files from the Internet
• FetchV Video Downloader — video downloader from the Internet
• ScriptCat — user script manager
• WuCai Highlight web highlighter — a tool for highlighting text on web pages
• Collabwriting- Shareable notes on the webpage

Add-ons are added in two clicks — click «Get» and then confirm the installation. All installed add-ons can be found in the «Extensions» menu, where you can enable, disable, or remove them.

For example, FetchV allows you to download videos from websites, and here’s how to do it — open the web page and play the video. Then tap the menu bar and go to the «Extensions» tab. Tap the topmost file in the list to start downloading the video.

For Google, such updates to Edge are a blow from competitors, even though Chrome remains the leader among browsers. Microsoft’s latest features look quite attractive, so its browser has every chance of seriously shaking Google’s dominance.

Chrome does not yet support Android extensions, and Google has not announced any plans to add them. Instead Chrome has many extensions that were very popular in 2024. However, on mobile devices, Edge may be a better alternative.

The Android extensions feature in Microsoft Edge is still in beta, but the company gradually promises to add new additions and improve stability. You can install extensions in Edge right now.

The tech giant is working not only on features for mobile devices but also Windows 11. Recently, the company introduced a new design of «batteries»as well as a full-fledged native version of the Copilot program for Windows. Previously, Microsoft eliminated the «annoying» error in Copilot, which gave tips on how to activate pirated Windows 11.

Source: Windows Latest