You may use Microsoft Edge in Windows 10, but there are advantages to using it on your iOS or Android device as well. For instance, you can tap into the same favorites and other content on Windows, iOS, and Android; you can view and clear your privacy and security settings in Microsoft Edge; and you can send a web page from your mobile device to your PC.
SEE: Mobile device computing policy (Tech Pro Research)
How to use Microsoft Edge on mobile devices
First, I’ll assume you have a Microsoft Account and use Edge in Windows 10 or have at least tried it. To get started with the mobile version of Microsoft Edge, download it for your iPhone or iPad from the App Store and for your Android phone or tablet from Google Play.
The first time you open Microsoft Edge, you’re prompted to sign in with your Microsoft account. By signing in this way, you’ll be able to see your favorites, history, passwords, and other saved data in Microsoft Edge on your mobile device. You’ll likely be asked if you want to get personalized search and browsing. Tap the link for the Privacy Statement to read how Microsoft uses your browsing history for this feature. Then tap Not Now or Yes.
You may first want to make sure your browser favorites are synced among your Windows 10 computer and your mobile devices. To do this, open Settings on your computer. Click Accounts and then select the option to Sync your settings. Turn on the switch to Sync settings if it’s turned off. Then, open Microsoft Edge on your computer. Click the Settings And More icon and select Settings. Turn on the switch to Sync your favorites, reading list, top sites, and other settings across your Windows devices.
Now, open Edge on your mobile device. Tap the Favorites icon. Edge picks up your signed-in Microsoft Account and should sync with the favorites from Edge on your Windows 10 device (Figure A).
Figure A
Your Edge reading list, downloaded books, and history are also synced between your computer and mobile device. To check these items, tap the Favorites icon. Tap the icon for Reading list, the icon for Books, and then tap the icon for History to see your synced data (Figure B).
Figure B
If you save website passwords through Edge, you can sync them as well, through you have to manually flip the switch on this. In Edge, tap the Settings icon and select your account name. Then, turn on the switch to Sync Passwords (Figure C).
Figure C
Next, you can view and delete certain privacy and security data through Edge. Tap the Settings button and select Settings. Tap the Privacy setting and then tap the entry to Clear Browsing Data. At the window to Clear Browsing Data, check each piece of content you wish to remove: Browsing History, Cookies And Site Data, Cache, Saved Passwords, and Form data. Tap the entry to Clear Browsing Data (Figure D).
Figure D
Next, you can view and clear data for your overall Microsoft Account. Return to the screen for Clear Browsing Data and tap the link to Change What Microsoft Edge Knows About Me In The Cloud. Sign into your Microsoft Account web page. You’re taken to the Privacy dashboard page where you can view and clear your browsing history, search history, location activity, voice activity, media activity, product and service activity, product and service performance, Cortana Notebook, LinkedIn settings, Health activity, and other privacy settings (Figure E).
Figure E
SEE: Cybersecurity in an IoT and mobile world (ZDNet special report) | Download the report as a PDF (TechRepublic)
You can send a web page from your mobile device to your computer. Open a page in Edge. Tap the Continue On PC icon (the one with a right arrow sticking out of a square). Tap the PC to which you want to send your current page or tap Continue Later to send a notification about the page instead (Figure F).
Figure F
The web page automatically pops up in Edge on your Windows 10 computer (Figure G).
Figure G
You can tweak and use other features in the mobile version of Edge, including InPrivate browsing, ad blocking through AdBlock Plus, searching by voice and by QR code, and finding text on a page. But the features and settings I covered here show the integration between Edge on your PC and Edge on your mobile device–a reason to use the browser in both places.
