Microsoft is testing a new search suggestions feature in Microsoft Edge Canary currently. These are shown in Progressive Web Apps (PWA) windows based on activity.
Sites and services like YouTube, Google Maps, the Financial Times, or Alibaba are available as PWAs. The main idea is to give websites a few features of dedicated apps.
This includes pinning them to the taskbar or start menu, or launching them in a window without browser UI.
How to install PWAs in Edge
Installing a PWA in Edge is simple. The browser displays an icon in the address bar when a PWA is available.
Just click on the icon to display the install prompt. Edge explains the advantages of using the site as a PWA.
Activate install to add it to the system. Here you get options to pin it to various places and auto-start it on device login.
PWA Search Suggestions
Microsoft added a new feature to PWAs in Edge. The feature, which is available in the Canary version only, displays search suggestions in the title.
The screenshot of the YouTube PWA visualizes this. A search for Nintendo and the opening of some videos resulted in Edge suggesting to search for Nintendo Switch.
Another video resulted in IndieWorld being suggested by Edge. A click on the suggestion displays Bing search results in the sidebar in Edge.
The suggestions appear to be based on the content that you are viewing in the PWA. The usefulness seems limited, even though you cannot run searches directly from the PWA’s window.
There is a chance that the search suggestions feature won’t make it into Edge Stable.
How to disable Edge PWA Search Suggestions
Microsoft added an option to disable these search suggestions. Not everyone may find them useful. Here is how you disable the feature:
- Launch the PWA.
- Open the three dots menu at the top (next to the window controls) and select App settings.
- Toggle Search Suggestions so that its value is Off.
Microsoft describes the feature in the following way:
Search suggestions. Get suggestions from content that may interest you. Seamlessly search for relevant keywords in the side panel without interrupting your viewing.
Note: you need to repeat the steps for each installed PWA.
Closing Words
First revealed by Leopeva on Twitter, search suggestions in PWA windows seem to better integrate Bing Search functionality into these windows. Functionality is limited, but it may be something that some PWA users might want.
If you do not, and the chance is high, you can disable the feature and stop worrying about it altogether.
What about you? Do you use PWAs on your devices? What is your take on the search suggestions feature?