Microsoft Edge for Android now has two of the most popular ad blockers. Both uBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Lite can be enabled within the mobile browser.
Until recently, enabling uBlock Origin required switching Edge to another language. That's no longer the case, as the extension has rolled out to the stable version of Edge that's generally available.
Leo Varela, who tracks the progress of several Microsoft apps, highlighted the addition on X.
uBlock Origin is a popular ad blocker, but it has run into limits lately. Google Chrome shifted to Manifest V3 recently, which resulted in uBlock Origin no longer working. The extension has stopped working on several other browsers as well.
Mozilla Firefox will continue to support the API required for uBlock Origin to run.
Microsoft's support document discussing Manifest V3 still lists "TBD" (to be determined) regarding the cutoff date for Manifest V2 extensions. If Microsoft continues to support those types of extensions, Edge would have another clear differentiator over Chrome.
uBlock Origin causing Edge to crash
After uBlock Origin rolled out to the stable version of Edge, I tested it on several websites. The extension works as you'd expect, blocking ads automatically and allowing fine-tuned controls for blocking certain types of content.
Unfortunately, uBlock Origin appears to have some issues on Edge for Android. When using uBlock Origin, Edge will periodically crash.
I've seen mixed reports about the behavior, so it appears to be a sporadic issue. Varela has not experienced any crashes, while others have seen constant issues.
Hopefully, the bugs are fixed soon. If not, Edge also supports AdGuard Adblocker.
How to use uBlock Origin on Microsoft Edge for Android
I believe uBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Lite appeared in Edge for Android without requiring an update, though it's a good idea to make sure Edge is up-to-date regardless.
To enable uBlock Origin or uBlock Origin Lite:
- Open Microsoft Edge for Android.
- Tap the menu button (three lines).
- Tap Extensions.
- Scroll down to uBlock Origin or uBlock Origin Lite and tap Get on the right-hand side of the extension name.
These same steps can be performed to get other extensions, such as Dark Reader, Keepa, and NordVPN.
