Going back is an action which has been implemented poorly, due to the lack of easily-accessible navigation buttons. Windows Phone users have been limited to six opened tabs. And, because Internet Explorer has no (reachable) tab limit on the desktop side, the Windows Phone 8.1 version now no longer comes with one too. This is yet-another "finally" type of improvement. With the introduction of password sync, there is also a new prompt which asks users whether they wish to have Internet Explorer 11 save their passwords. While it may not impact the experience for all users (I, personally, do not use Internet Explorer on any of my PCs), it makes Internet Explorer a much more enticing choice for those who use Windows Phones alongside Windows 8.1 PCs.
Having Internet Explorer 11 from Windows Phone 8.1 sync favorites, history, open tabs and passwords with its Windows 8.1 sibling is long overdue. It looks much like Pocket renders saved articles. To make it much more enjoyable to read articles on a Windows Phone, Internet Explorer 11 comes with Reading View, a feature which boosts the text size for legibility and optimizes the layout of the website for mobile reading. Viewing websites on a small screen can be difficult at times, especially when there is no mobile version available or when the browser does not offer text reflow. And just like those kind of apps, Internet Explorer 11 can keep the video running even when the Windows Phone 8.1 device is locked. I believe most users will continue to resort to third-party apps, like MyTube and Metrotube, to watch YouTube videos, but it is a nice improvement nonetheless. This makes YouTube, as well as other similar sites, much more usable in Internet Explorer 11, as the playback is no longer a full-screen-only affair.
Finally!Īnother change that will significantly impact the user experience is the support for in-line (in the page) video playback.
The software giant has now solved this problem in Windows Phone 8.1, as tapping on a file link in Internet Explorer 11 triggers a prompt which gives users the ability to open or save (download) the item. It is a significant omission on Microsoft's part in a time when every other browser that matters offers this feature. Only files which apps can open are supported by the download manager, and there is no option to actually save downloaded files (they are opened automatically, again if supported, in an app). As users may know, Internet Explorer's implementation of file downloads offers little control over the process.