Microsoft Edge may soon get on-device encryption for passwords and auto-verify C...

Microsoft Edge may soon get on-device encryption for passwords and auto-verify CAPTCHAs

Microsoft is working on new features for its Edge web browser that will bring ease of access as well as better privacy and security for the end users.

As spotted by Leopeva64, the Redmond giant is working on two new features for the Android version of Microsoft Edge — on-device encryption and auto-verify CAPTCHA. The on-device encryption feature is currently available in Microsoft Edge under Settings > Account > Passwords but does not work at the moment.

The feature will basically encrypt new passwords on the device before saving them to the Microsoft Password Manager, providing an extra layer of privacy as well as security to the user. Microsoft notes that the feature is, "For added safety, encrypt passwords on your device before
they're saved to Microsoft Password Manager".

On-device encryption is already available on Google Chrome and can be accessed under Settings > Autofill and passwords > Google Password Manager > Settings > Set up on-device encryption. Google notes the following on the sign up page:

On-device encryption turns your device into a key that’s used to lock your passwords before they’re saved to Google Password Manager.

This means that only you can see your passwords. It also means that if you lose the key, you could lose your passwords too.

Google further mentions that once the encryption is set-up, user cannot remove it and some sites may not automatically sign-in after the feature has been enabled.

Moving on to auto-verify CAPTCHAs, as the name suggests, the feature will auto-verify that you are not a bot on the websites, saving you the troubles of solving CAPTCHA. The feature was first added to the Chromium developers page in February and is now making its way to Microsoft Edge. Auto-verify works by saving a small amount of info with Edge that can be used by other websites to confirm that you are not a bot.

Currently, auto-verify is only available on Microsoft Edge Canary and Dev builds on Android. There is no word on when the feature will be available on other devices including Microsoft Edge desktop apps.