In December of 2018 Microsoft announced plans to transition Edge to being a Chromium-based browser. Microsoft’s Chromium Edge exited Preview in January of 2020, and as of June 2020, Microsoft started pushing out the new browser version via Windows update.
In August 2020, Microsoft announced that the non-Chromium based Microsoft Edge Legacy will reach its End of Life in March 2021. This means that after March 9th, 2021, Edge Legacy is no longer a supported browser by Microsoft and will not receive any more security fixes or updates.
Coinciding with Microsoft’s End of Life of the Legacy Edge browser, as of the March 20.21.03 release we will be increasing the prominence & urgency of our existing friendly end-user prompts to upgrade their out-of-date browser.
For Legacy Edge users only, instead of the traditional Browser Check pop-up, we are presenting users with a warning banner notifying them that browser is no longer supported by Microsoft, linking to Microsoft’s EoL announcement.
Figure: Browser update message in Brightspace.
Banner text in image:
Your version of Microsoft Edge will be unsupported by Microsoft after March 2021
Microsoft is ending support for Legacy Edge in March 2021. Please upgrade your browser. Learn More > (link to this blog post)
Since Microsoft first announced their transition to a Chromium based Edge, we’ve been monitoring Legacy Edge usage closely. Less than 0.5% of Brightspace sessions are accessed via Legacy Edge, and this number is continuing to drop rapidly as Microsoft Windows update continues to upgrade end-user browsers. In the weeks following this announcement, Brightspace Technical Account Managers will be reaching out to clients with relatively high or large numbers of Legacy Edge sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I still use Legacy Edge to access Brightspace after March 2021?
A: Yes, Legacy Edge will not be blocked from accessing Brightspace after March 2021. However, as always, we recommend using the most up to date version of your browser and Brightspace is only tested against the latest few versions of any browser. Issues with Brightspace encountered in Legacy Edge will not be fixed.
Q: Can I disable the warning banner?
A: The banner cannot be disabled. However, the end-user can use the “Remind Me Later” button to dismiss the banner until their next login.
Q: Can I change the text in the warning banner?
A: The lang terms in the banner can overridden through Language Management.
Q: How can I get Legacy Edge usage data for my instance?
A: If you reach out to your Brightspace Technical Account Manager or Customer Success Manager, they will be able to pass along the Legacy Edge usage data.