Microsoft is finally retiring Internet Explorer in 2022

 Internet Explorer will no longer be supported in June 2022

Microsoft is finally retiring Internet Explorer next year, after more than 25 years. The aging web browser has largely been unused by most consumers for years, but Microsoft is putting the final nail in the Internet Explorer coffin on June 15th, 2022, by retiring it in favor of Microsoft Edge.

“We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge,” says Sean Lyndersay, a Microsoft Edge program manager. “The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10.”

While the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) of Windows 10 will still include Internet Explorer next year, all consumer versions will end support of the browser. Microsoft doesn’t make it clear (and we’re checking), but it’s likely that we’ll finally see the end of Internet Explorer being bundled in Windows either in June 2022 or soon after.

Internet Explorer originally launched in 1995

The alternative for most businesses will be Microsoft Edge with IE mode. Microsoft created its IE mode for Edge a couple of years ago, and it has allowed businesses to adopt the new Chromium-based browser for older legacy websites. IE mode supports older ActiveX controls and legacy sites, which are surprisingly still used by many businesses. Microsoft is promising to support this IE mode in Edge until through at least 2029.

The end of Internet Explorer has been a long time coming. Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer 11 for the Microsoft Teams web app last year, and it’s planning to cut it off from accessing Microsoft 365 services later this year. Internet Explorer 11 will no longer be supported for Microsoft’s online services like Office 365, OneDrive, Outlook, and more on August 17th.

Microsoft has also been trying to stop people from using Internet Explorer for more than five years. Microsoft Edge first appeared in 2015, and it kicked off the end of the Internet Explorer brand. Microsoft has since labeled Internet Explorer a “compatibility solution” rather than a browser and encouraged businesses to stop using the aging browser in favor of Edge and its IE mode.

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Microsoft is pushing the Control Panel aside in its latest Windows 11 updates

 One more step to simplifying Windows

Microsoft is finally signaling the end of the legacy Control Panel in Windows 11. The software giant introduced a number of changes in its Settings section of Windows 11 earlier this year, and this month the company has started testing even more ways to replace Control Panel functionality.

In new test versions of Windows 11, Microsoft has moved the advanced network settings into a new page in the Settings app, which includes sharing options for folders, printers, and network discovery options. Some entry points to the network and device settings in Windows 11 also now redirect to the Settings app, instead of forcing you into the Control Panel.

Elsewhere, links to the section of the Control Panel used to uninstall apps now redirect to the Settings app. Even the section for uninstalling Windows Updates is now part of the Settings app, instead of being housed in the Control Panel.

These latest changes are welcome, and come after attempts to move away from the Control Panel in Windows 10. Microsoft originally introduced a separate Settings app in Windows 8, as a way to overhaul its traditional Control Panel. The two have existed alongside each other for legacy support reasons, just like how Microsoft had two browsers (Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge) inside Windows 10.

The Settings app was designed to be a new broom that sweeps clean, but there are still plenty of settings that require you to head into the Control Panel. Windows 10 improved things, and Windows 11 offers an even more modern take on how users control their PC.

Microsoft describes these latest changes as an “ongoing effort to bring over settings from Control Panel into the Settings app.” So it’s clear Microsoft is committed to cleaning this area of Windows up, and eventually making the Control Panel redundant.

Windows 11 has largely been an attempt to modernize and simplify a Windows operating system that has been used the same way for decades. Microsoft didn’t quite go far enough with the Control Panel for the initial release of Windows 11, but in other areas like the taskbar it has simplified things far too much. These monthly changes pave the way for Microsoft to finalize what has felt like an unfinished version of Windows so far.

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Google is turning off the controls for OnHub routers at the end of 2022

 

Google’s insistence on cloud-based controls for its networking products has occasionally caused issues, even though it was supposed to make life with OnHub routers simple. Now it will be a reason pushing anyone still using the OnHub to find a replacement by the end of next year when Google’s apps stop allowing owners to change the settings on their devices. An email went out to users, and a support page revealed the changeover is scheduled for December 19th, 2022 (via Droid-Life).

When it still seemed unusual for Google and Amazon to make their own hardware, Google teamed up with TP-Link and, eventually, Asus to build OnHub routers that made a point of blending in seamlessly with the rest of your house. They had slick mobile apps to simplify setup and controls, plus a style that blended in so people were more likely to place them in a central location, which could improve WiFi coverage.

Google Support:

Before December 19, 2022

Your OnHub router will continue to work as normal, but won’t receive any new software features or security updates. We recommend you upgrade to a new Wi-Fi setup today. A special discount code has been emailed to OnHub users only, for 40% off Nest Wifi on the Google Store. This promotional code is available for a limited time.*

After December 19, 2022

Your OnHub router will still provide a Wi-Fi signal, but you’ll no longer be able to manage it with the Google Home app.

You won’t be able to update things like Wi-Fi network settings, add additional Wifi devices, or run speed tests.

Google Assistant features like “Hey Google, pause my Wi-Fi” will stop working.

OnHub performance can’t be guaranteed.

The idea was that by styling them to fit with interior decorations, people would be more likely to place them in a central location, thereby improving Wi-Fi coverage. They even had slick mobile apps to control them so that you didn’t have to dig through ugly menus, but now those apps are gone, with the settings merged into Google’s Home app.

After the shutdown date, the routers will still work, but you won’t be able to adjust their settings, get any updates, or really do any troubleshooting. For its part, Google is offering owners a 40 percent discount on a Nest Wifi unit, which should knock a fair amount off of pricing that currently starts at $149 for a base unit by itself or $189 for a base and one extender.

For routers that are several years old by now, at least, that doesn’t feel like an unfair offer to get a replacement that we called “even faster and more capable than before.” Still, it doesn’t change the feeling that buying one of these routers means “owning” it only for so long as Google is willing to provide support. How many of your supposedly smart devices will quickly turn into bricks and electronic waste if someone flips a switch on the back end?

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