New: "Microsoft Edge for iOS and Android now comes with a built-in ad blocker"

Microsoft is building Adblock Plus directly into its Edge browser for iOS and Android. The software giant has started making the integration available to Microsoft Edge for Android beta users over the weekend, alongside an iOS test program. The feature will be rolled out more broadly to all Edge for iOS and Android users soon. The adblocker can be enabled in the Microsoft Edge settings, and doesn’t require a separate add-in to download and install.

Microsoft’s step is significant, as the company has partnered with Adblock Plus to build this functionality straight into the browser. Google previously unveiled its own ad blocking in Chrome for Android, but it’s not as aggressive as Adblock Plus and most ads aren’t blocked on the majority of sites. Mozilla’s Firefox for Android browser also includes a form of built-in ad blocking, but it’s only activated during an in-private tab session. Samsung Android users can also install Adblock extensions to block ads in Samsung’s browser.

Microsoft Edge for Android has now reached 5 million installs on the Google Play Store, so it still has a way to go to catch up to the 100 million Firefox installs or the default Chrome browser which has more than 1 billion “installs” on Android. It’s not clear how popular the Edge browser is on iOS, but Microsoft first released Edge for iOS and Android back in November, and the company only recently made it available for Android tablets and the iPad.

Update, June 25th 6:50AM: Microsoft is also testing this adblocker in Edge for iOS.