Microsoft gives and Microsoft takes away. The latest update to Microsoft Edge adds the ability to sign in to the browser using an Apple account. It also adds a feature that automatically unsubscribes you from notifications related to scams.
But the same update also marks the official end of several Microsoft Edge features, including Edge Drop and real-time video translation.
Here are all the new features and changes that ship with the latest version of Edge, as detailed by Microsoft:
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- Automatically unsubscribe users from notifications sent by scam and malicious sites. Microsoft Edge now helps further protect users from malicious web notifications. When a notification leads users to a site that Microsoft Defender SmartScreen blocks as a scam, phishing, or malware page, Edge automatically stops that source from sending users further notifications. Edge lets users know when this happens. Users can review and restore any of these sites anytime under edge://settings/privacy/sitePermissions/allPermissions/notifications. Note: This is a controlled feature rollout. If you don’t see this change, check back as we continue the rollout.
- Sign in to Edge with an Apple account. Users can now sign in to Microsoft Edge using an Apple account in addition to the Microsoft account from the profile menu and Edge sign-in screen. Available for Windows and macOS devices. Admins can control availability to this feature using the NonMicrosoftAccountSignInEnabled policy. Note: This is a controlled feature rollout. If you don’t see this change, check back as we continue the rollout.
- Real-time video translation retirement. Real-time video translation is being retired through a gradual rollout. Availability may vary across environments during the rollout. The LiveVideoTranslationEnabled policy will be deprecated in a future update.
- Enhanced Key Icon with Credential Details, Copy Actions, and Notes. The key icon in Edge’s address bar now lets users click into any saved credential to view a detailed panel. From there, users can copy a username, reveal and copy a password, and add personal notes to each login. Keep track of security questions, account purpose, or recovery details right alongside credentials, without opening Settings or the full password manager. Note: This is a controlled feature rollout. If you don’t see this change, check back as we continue the rollout.
- Drop is retired. We’re simplifying Microsoft Edge. Drop is retired in Microsoft Edge version 152.
- New Copilot Cowork policy. Copilot Cowork may perform tasks such as creating tabs, taking screenshots, and interacting with web pages. Admins can now control availability of this feature using the CopilotCoworkToolActionsEnabled policy, which corresponds to the Allow Cowork to take actions on your behalf setting in edge://settings/ai. This policy applies only when Cowork Browsing is enabled at the tenant level in the M365 admin center.
- Clarification of WebView2 DowngradeVersion policy. The DowngradeVersion policy allows admins to temporarily roll back specific applications to a previous WebView2 Evergreen Runtime version (N-1 or N-2). The policy requires an exact 4-part numeric WebView2 Runtime version, for example 151.0.2178.0. Admins can find the exact 4-part version number in the Microsoft Edge release notes for Stable Channel. Major-version-only values are not supported. If no exact matching folder is found, the policy has no effect and the runtime defaults to the BrowserExecutableFolder policy or the Evergreen runtime, which is the default auto-updating runtime.
- Update for LocalNetworkAccessRestrictionsTemporaryOptOut policy. The planned removal of the LocalNetworkAccessRestrictionsTemporaryOptOut policy has been updated. The policy is now scheduled for removal after Microsoft Edge version 156; previously it was version 152.
- Updated Copilot policy. Admins can now control availability of the video transcription feature using the EdgeEntraCopilotPageContext policy, which corresponds to the Allow Copilot to transcribe your video setting in edge://settings/ai.
I was always a fan of Edge Drop and will be sad to see it go. The feature let you send messages, files, and photos to yourself. All of the content you sent through Edge Drop lived in a single thread. The feature was powered by OneDrive, making it easy to find backups of the content.
But Edge Drop lived in the Sidebar of Edge, meaning it competed with Copilot for space within the browser. Microsoft never officially confirmed Copilot was a factor in the retirement of Edge Drop, but I suspect the AI tool was at least a small factor.
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