In January, Microsoft introduced the new Edge browser based on the open-source platform Chromium that also powers Google Chrome. The old Microsoft Edge is now known as legacy Edge or Edge legacy, and Microsoft said that it’s preparing to drop support for the old browser next year.
If you are still using Microsoft Edge to access WhatsApp Web, then you really need to upgrade your browser. If you don’t, then you cannot use WhatsApp web in Microsoft Edge, according to a statement from the social media giant.
Facebook wants users to download the latest Windows 10 update or WhatsApp desktop app (web wrapper) from the Microsoft Store, hence the shift to the focus on the latest versions of Microsoft Edge.
If you still want to use WhatsApp Web in Edge, Facebook recommends upgrading to Microsoft Edge 80 or newer.
The message also recommends switching to alternatives, such as Chrome, Firefox or Opera.
“To use WhatsApp, update Windows 10 to get the latest version of Microsoft Edge or use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera,” the warning reads.
Naturally, Chromium Edge is set to replace Edge Legacy in all versions of Windows 10, and Microsoft has already started rolling out Windows 10 version 20H2 with the new browser, so you don’t have to apply additional updates to make the switch.
In addition to the legacy Edge browser, Microsoft also plans to kill Internet Explorer 11 by blocking essential services in the browser. After the support ends in March 2021, users will be redirected to the Chromium Edge when they try to access incompatible sites using legacy Edge.
One of the big new features of the Chromium Edge is Collections, which allows you to collect, organize and manage your projects within the browser. There’s another feature called Sleeping Tabs, which is meant to ensure low memory usage by Edge when you open a lot of tabs.
