Even though many web browsers now share the same Chromium engine, they don't always load pages and web apps in the same way, causing problems for users and developers.Google, Mozilla, Igalia, Apple, and Microsoft are once again teaming up to fix that.For the past five years, the Interop project has selected some features to improve or fix across all major web browsers.
Interop 2026 has now started, with the teams behind Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Edge represented.Igalia is also part of the effort, as a frequent contributor to Chromium, WebKit (Safari's engine), Firefox, and Servo.This time around, the browsers are focusing on container elements, custom styles for highlighted text, local databases, WebAssembly (Wasm), snap behavior when scrolling, view transitions, WebRTC (used for video calls and streaming), and several other elements and browser features.
Some features are already supported in certain browsers—for example, the contrast-color CSS value currently works in Firefox and Safari, but not Chrome and Edge.The WebKit team explained in a blog post for web developers, "Interop 2026 brings together twenty focus areas that matter to you as a web developer.Some […] give you more flexible ways to architect your CSS.
Others, like Scroll-Driven Animations and View Transitions, let you create smoother, more engaging experiences without reaching for JavaScript.Features like WebTransport and the Navigation API give you more powerful tools for building modern web applications." Even if you're not a web developer, this is still a great project that will eventually make websites and web apps more powerful and reliable.Occasionally, I run into a website that doesn't quite work right in Firefox or Safari, and I have to switch to a Chromium browser like Edge.
Getting all web browsers to all (roughly) the same feature support is part of fixing that problem.The goal is for all browsers to support all those features by the end of 2026, or they should at least get close to it.Last year's Interop 2025 project focused on CSS anchor positioning, view transitions, page performance, and the Navigation API.
Chrome and Firefox ended the year with 99% completion, with Edge and Safari at 98% completion.How-To Geek Report: Subscribe and never miss what matters Unlock your tech-savvy potential and master the digital world with How-To Geek.Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
You can unsubscribe anytime.The Interop 2026 dashboard will be updated throughout the year, as each browser makes progress on fixing bugs and implementing new functionality.I'm certainly looking forward to those improvements in Firefox more than the pile of AI features.
Source: WebKit, Microsoft Edge Blog
Read More
