Windows and Windows Phone users struggled with the app gap for years, often leading to frustration when their favorite app was unavailable. But recent advances in AI have led to a different kind of problem: an explosion of development. Microsoft recently shared the challenges caused by AI accelerating the development of extensions for the Edge browser.
"How do we keep up with the pace at which the ecosystem is growing, while maintaining a high bar for quality?" asked Microsoft's Edge team.
Microsoft approves extensions that appear in the Edge Add-ons site. Since AI can speed up the process of developing or updating apps, Microsoft has more submissions to take care of. To better handle the workload, Microsoft has automated some validation checks for extensions.
The company emphasizes that it still has the same standards for an extension to pass. The automation centers around common problems so humans can focus on more complex cases.
If an extension passes enough quality checks, it will earn a "Featured" badge in the Edge Add-ons site. Microsoft now refreshes Featured badges every 15 days.
"With this more frequent cadence, high-quality extensions can earn recognition sooner, and developers receive faster feedback on their investments in quality," said Microsoft. "At the same time, users benefit from a more up-to-date view of the extensions that meet our quality standards."
Edge extensions have come a long way. The browser first required developers to put in a lot of work that was exclusive to Edge. That changed when Edge was relaunched as a Chromium browser. That switch greatly improved compatibility and resulted in more extensions being in the Edge Add-ons site.
Being based on Chromium also comes with some downsides, however. Microsoft is following in the footsteps of Google by moving from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3. There are a variety of effects of that change, but the one many care about the most is it means uBlock Origin will no longer work on Edge (it already does not work on Chrome).
Microsoft revamped the Edge Add-ons site with a better browsing experience and new categories last year. The new site shows better suggestions as you type and lets you install extensions without having to jump to a different page.
With that refresh and the recent uptick in extension submissions, it should be easier than ever to find a quality extension.
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