Adobe Flash Player support: ending, end date, for Chrome
In recent years, the Adobe Flash Player plugin for viewing multimedia content has been replaced by a new HTML5 technology, which does not require a special program. Therefore, Adobe decided to discontinue Flash Player support from December 31, 2020. If you still use or want to download Adobe Flash Player, read this article to discover what you should know about it.
Why and when will Adobe Flash Player become outdated?
The open standards HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly provide much more features than Flash Player and also have much better protection against viruses and intrusions. These technologies are therefore integrated in the most common browsers. As a result, major browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Safari refuse to support the plugin. Back in 2017, Adobe decided to end its support at the end of 2020. Within three years, developers, designers, IT-companies and users could prepare for this and, if necessary, transfer multimedia content to new standards.
Thus, Microsoft stops supporting Adobe Flash Player in Edge Chromium browser and outdated versions of Edge, as well as in Internet Explorer 11 from the end of 2020. Apple Safari for macOS version 14 (from September 2020) and subsequent versions of the browser for Apple devices will also no longer work with Adobe Flash Player. You can find the latest list of browsers and operating systems that still support Flash Player. It is important to understand that their number will decrease over time.
Is it possible to download Flash Player After support is removed?
At the end of 2020, Adobe will remove Flash Player download pages from all its sites and block Flash content in Adobe Flash Player.
It can be assumed that Adobe Flash Player downloads on third-party pages not affiliated with Adobe will work even after December 31, 2020. However, Adobe recommends users not to download the plugin from these sites.
"Unauthorized downloads are a frequent source of malware and viruses. Adobe is not responsible for unauthorized versions of Flash Player, and if you use such versions, you do so entirely at your own risk," Adobe said in an official announcement.
Should I remove Adobe Flash Player?
Flash Player has already accumulated a large number of bugs, and in the future, without any support, the number of errors and gaps will only increase. In this regard, Adobe strongly recommends that all users remove Flash Player before the expiration date of the plugin, that is, until December 31, 2020.
However, the program may still be required to run some retro games. If you like vintage games, you should understand that you take the responsibility for using Flash Player.