Edge Insiders can now expect double the fun on the Canary branch, as Microsoft turns up the heat.
If you’re a fan of Microsoft Edge, you might want to take a look at the Canary version. Microsoft has just announced that it is increasing its updates for the Edge Canary branch to two per day, compared to the usual update.
A new update schedule for Microsoft Edge Canary
As spotted by Neowin, Microsoft is doubling the number of updates Edge Canary receives each day. The Redmond giant has officially announced the change on the Microsoft Edge Insider website, in a short article titled “Warning: Two daily versions of Canary start now”.
If you’ve never heard of Canary before, it’s the cutting edge version of, well, Edge. The Edge Canary branch receives updates before any other branch, with the downside that the browser is more prone to bugs and crashes as a whole.
These bugs are fixed before being deployed in the Dev branch (updated weekly) then in the Beta branch (every month) before finally arriving on the main version of Edge. This is why it is called “Canary”; it’s the navigator’s equivalent of bringing a bird down a mine shaft to make sure all is well before it moves forward.
If you are interested, you can go to Microsoft Edge Insider download page and grab the Canary version there. Remember that while you get all the fancy features before anyone else, you should also expect some weird crashes and bugs to occur. Just be sure to report them as you find them.
Is Microsoft stepping on the pedal?
So why is Microsoft suddenly doubling the number of upcoming updates for Edge Canary? Microsoft hasn’t said much on the matter, but the company may want to up the ante on its biggest rival, Chrome.
By pushing two updates a day, Microsoft has more room to get more features onto people’s Canary branches. This results in faster testing and bug checking time for new features; those who can convince people that Edge is worth it. And given how good Microsoft’s efforts are when you compare Edge to Chrome, its changes are more likely than you might think.
Double the fun for Edge Canary
With Microsoft doubling down on Edge Canary updates, we’ll have to see how the company uses this extra space. Who knows; this may be the push Microsoft needs to become a strong contender with Chrome.
