Microsoft Edge Update Adds Apple Sign-In and Scam Protection While Retiring Edge Drop and Video Translation

The most recent update to Microsoft Edge includes the option to sign in using an Apple account and also introduces a feature that automatically has users unsubscribed from scam-related notifications.

The same update also formally discontinues a number of Edge features, such as Edge Drop and real-time video translation. Edge Drop, the feature which allowed users to send messages, files, and photos to themselves within a single thread backed by OneDrive, is being discontinued in Edge version 152. Microsoft has provided the full details of all the changes in its Stable Channel release notes.

While Microsoft has not confirmed it, Copilot might have been one of the reasons behind the retirement of Edge Drop.

Microsoft Edge Adds Apple Sign-In and Scam Notification Protection

Several new features and admin controls ship with the update:

For automatically unsubscribing from scam notifications: if a notification takes you to a website that Microsoft Defender SmartScreen blocks as a scam, phishing, or malware page, Edge will automatically stop that source from sending any more notifications and will notify the user.

Users can look at and reinstate the sites by going to edge://settings/privacy/sitePermissions/allPermissions/notifications. This feature is part of a controlled rollout.

With regard to signing in with an Apple account: users are now able to sign in to Edge either using a Microsoft account or an Apple account from the profile menu and the sign-in screen on both Windows and macOS. Administrators can use the NonMicrosoftAccountSignInEnabled policy to control whether this feature is available. This is a controlled feature rollout.

The key icon has been enhanced so that in Edge's address bar users can click on any saved credential to see a detailed panel in which they can copy a username, reveal and copy a password, and add personal notes for each login. This is part of a controlled feature rollout.

The update also signals the conclusion of two features, namely Edge Drop, which is being discontinued in Microsoft Edge version 152, Microsoft stating that the reason for this is an aim to simplify the browser.

Edge Drop was located in the Edge Sidebar, where it had to compete with Copilot for space. Although Microsoft has never officially confirmed that Copilot was a factor in the decision to retire the feature, the AI tool at least played a minor role.

Real-time video translation is also being phased out through a gradual rollout, since the availability differs from environment to environment as the transition takes place. The LiveVideoTranslationEnabled policy will be made obsolete in a future update.

Microsoft Edge Admin Policy Changes and Feature Rollout Details

The update includes several policy changes for administrators:

• Copilot Cowork is capable of carrying out various tasks, including the creation of tabs, taking screenshots, and interacting with web pages. This functionality can be managed through the CopilotCoworkToolActionsEnabled policy, which matches the "Allow Cowork to take actions on your behalf" option in edge://settings/ai. However, the policy only takes effect when Cowork Browsing is enabled at the tenant level in the M365 admin center.
• The policy for downgrading WebView2, which allows administrators to temporarily revert certain applications to a previous version of the WebView2 Evergreen Runtime (specifically version N-1 or N-2), mandates the use of an exact four-part numeric version number, for example 151.0.2178.0; versions that specify only the major number are not supported and the policy has no effect if no exact match of the folder is found.
• The planned removal of the LocalNetworkAccessRestrictionsTemporaryOptOut policy has been postponed and is now set to be removed after Edge version 156 instead of version 152.
• Administrators can now use the EdgeEntraCopilotPageContext policy to control the video transcription feature, this policy corresponds to the "Allow Copilot to transcribe your video" setting in edge://settings/ai.

Many of the new features, such as Apple account sign-in, the option to unsubscribe from scam notifications, and the improved key icon, involve controlled feature rollouts and therefore may not show up on every device at once.

Edge Drop has been discontinued in version 152, and real-time video translation is being gradually phased out, with its policy being removed in a future update. It is not yet certain when the rollout of the new features will be completed for all users.

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