Search engine giant Google has announced that the Google Chrome web browser will drop support for Windows 7 and 8.1 starting February 2023. The company said, Chrome users must ensure that their devices are running at least Windows 10 after support is discontinued for Windows 7 and 8.1 versions.
“With the release of Chrome 110 (tentatively scheduled for February 7th, 2023), we’ll officially end support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. You’ll need to ensure your device is running Windows 10 or later to continue receiving future Chrome releases. This matches Microsoft’s end of support for Windows 7 ESU and Windows 8.1 extended support on January 10th, 2023,” the tech ginat mentioned.
Older versions of Chrome will continue to work, but there will be no further updates released for users on these operating systems. If you are currently on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, the company encourages to move to a supported Windows version before that date to ensure you continue to receive the latest security updates and Chrome features.
According to Statcounter GlobalStats, Windows 7 is still running on over 10 percent of all Windows systems worldwide, while Windows 8.1 is just 2.7 percent. The Google Chrome web browser has a market share of over 65 percent, followed by Safari with roughly 18 percent and Microsoft Edge with 4.32 percent (which uses the Chrome rendering engine with enhancements from Microsoft).
Google earlier this month announced to roll out support for passkeys later this year along with an API for native Android apps releasing 2022. It also announced a bunch of new features to the Play Store for better listing of apps next year. The company showcased the upcoming changes at its annual developer conference I/O earlier this year. The API of the apps will allow users to choose if they want to a passkey or a saved password while logging in.
According to Google, “Passkeys are a significantly safer replacement for passwords and other phishable authentication factors. They cannot be reused, don’t leak in server breaches and protect users from phishing attacks.”