Microsoft has a grand plan to revamp Edge apparently, and one of the possible next steps in the evolution of the web browser has just been flagged up.
As Windows Latest explains, the software giant has a project with the codename of ‘Phoenix’ which has the aim of overhauling Edge, and making it look more modern, but not in one big update – rather a series of drip-fed moves.
And one of the incoming changes could be the ability for the browser to morph its color palette to match Windows 11’s settings, the tech site theorizes.
This is based on a couple of flags Windows Latest noticed in a test build of Edge from the Canary channel (the earliest preview builds).
The flags are ‘msEdgePhoenixColorPaletteGenerator’ and ‘msUseSnappingPointsForPhoenixPaletteGeneration’, so we have the clear reference to the Phoenix project here.
What these flags likely refer to is the ability for Edge to run a piece of ‘color palette generator’ code that could detect Windows 11’s accent colors or theme, and change the browser to match that. In other words, Edge would dynamically switch to complement the Windows 11 environment in this respect.
Analysis: What happens in testing, sometimes stays in testing
This is educated guesswork on Windows Latest’s part, but it makes sense to me. Bear in mind that not only is this early testing, but the functionality isn’t even enabled in preview yet, and only present in these flags hidden away in the background. It’s possible that nothing may come of this ultimately, but we can keep a watchful eye out for further clues.
Mica is also apparently coming to the Edge title bar, which is an opaque effect that means the bar is slightly tinted by the desktop color behind it.
While all this is commendable – if it happens – will it be enough to propel Edge forward in terms of browser share? I’m looking for bigger moves than this, and expect you will be too, although it certainly won’t hurt the chances of Microsoft’s browser.
To be fair to the software giant, some nifty bits have been brought in as part of Project Phoenix in the past, such as Edge’s split-screen feature which lets you browse two websites simultaneously, side-by-side in the browser window. Now that is a smart touch.
A further point to note here – albeit more minor – is another flag Windows Latest spotted recently in testing, namely ‘msVisualRejuvTooltips’ which likely represents a revamp of Edge tooltips. While this has since been removed, it’s still something Microsoft could return to at some point down the line.
Furthermore, Leopeva64, a source of a lot of Edge rumors and leaks on X, recently flagged up that the ‘Auto Picture in Picture’ feature in Microsoft’s browser is being removed from testing (see the below post).
Edge’s “Auto PiP” feature still works in Beta and Stable (it no longer works in Dev and Canary), if you want to try it out before it stops working,here’s the CLF to enable it: –enable-features=msEdgeAutoPictureInPicture,msEdgeAutoPictureInPictureTrigger pic.twitter.com/UDu8LUPY7dJanuary 12, 2025
All of which illustrates exactly why changes in testing need to be regarded carefully – not all of them make it through to release by any means.
Whatever happens, it’s clear Microsoft is hoping to improve Edge substantially with Project Phoenix, but I’m hoping to see some bigger pieces of that puzzle come into view this year.