Microsoft follows Google, pauses Edge updates due to coronavirus

Earlier this month Google paused the release of Chrome version 81 due to coronavirus outbreak.

Microsoft has paused the roll out of Edge 81. (Pixabay)

Earlier this month, Google paused the release of the next version of its Chrome and Chrome operating systems owing to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, Microsoft is following Google's suit by pausing the next major update for its Edge web browser.

The move comes at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has forced countries into a lockdown, in turn forcing companies to work at a reduced capacity with majority of their employees working from home.

Microsoft announced the new via a blog. "In light of current global circumstances, the Microsoft Edge team is pausing updates to the Stable channel for Microsoft Edge. This means that Microsoft Edge 81 will not be promoted to Stable until we resume these updates," Microsoft wrote in its blog post.

Microsoft, earlier this year, started rolling out new Chromium-based Edge web browser to all it Windows 10 users. "Devices running Windows 10 Home or Pro Edition that are joined to an Active Directory or Azure Active Directory domain, are MDM managed, or are WSUS or WUfB managed, will also be excluded from this automatic update," Microsoft had written in a blog post at the time of the rollout.

As mentioned earlier, Chrome has paused the roll out of the stable version of Chrome 81. "We will not promote Chrome 81 from beta to stable. We plan to begin shipping Dev channels again in the near future, and will continue shipping Canaries as planned.," Chrome wrote in a tweet adding that it would continue to provide all major security updates in Chrome 80.

Since Microsoft Edge is based on Google's Chromium Chromium engine, which also powers other web browsers such as Google Chrome and Opera, it's only natural for Edge to pause its next update as well. Meanwhile, Microsoft hasn't detailed as to when it will roll out the next version of Edge web browser. However, the company has announced that it would continue providing security updates to Microsoft Edge 80. "We will continue to deliver security and stability updates to Microsoft Edge 80. Preview channels (Canary, Dev, and Beta) will continue to update on their usual schedule," Microsoft added in its blog.