Microsoft is rolling out a new Edge update that adds two user-facing features and retires two older capabilities. The browser now supports the “Sign in with Apple” flow, and it has a dedicated scam protection layer to warn users before they engage with suspicious sites. On the downside, Microsoft has formally ended Edge Drop and real-time video translation, making this one of the biggest feature shake-ups for Edge in recent months.
Apple ID login arrives in Microsoft Edge
The sign-in experience has always been central to Microsoft Edge, because a connected account is what allows favorites, passwords, history, and open tabs to move between devices. For most of the browser’s history, that meant using a Microsoft account or, in business environments, an Azure Active Directory account. The latest update adds a different entry point: users can now choose “Sign in with Apple” when setting up or managing an Edge profile.
This is particularly useful for people who spend most of their time in the Apple ecosystem. Mac users, iPhone owners, and iPad users who previously had to create or remember a separate Microsoft credential can now use their Apple ID instead. The Apple sign-in option is designed to feel familiar, with the same kind of authentication flow used by thousands of third-party apps. Depending on the device, users can confirm their identity with a password, Face ID, or Touch ID, which removes some of the friction from the setup process.
Behind the scenes, the Apple ID integration still links the Edge profile to Microsoft’s sync infrastructure. That means users should get the same synchronization of bookmarks, extensions, passwords, and settings that they would receive with a Microsoft account. What changes is the front-door authentication method, not the broader Edge services model. For users who prefer not to expand their Microsoft account footprint, the new option offers an opportunity to use the browser while keeping their identity credentials inside Apple’s ecosystem.
The addition also puts Edge more in line with other modern browsers and web services that support multiple identity providers. Over the years, browser sign-in flows have moved toward more flexible authentication, allowing users to choose the account system they already trust. By adding Apple sign-in, Microsoft acknowledges that not every Edge user wants to create a new digital identity just to sync browser data.
A stronger layer of scam protection
The second headline addition in the update is scam protection. Microsoft has long included phishing and malware filters in Edge, largely through SmartScreen and Microsoft Defender, but the new capability goes beyond simple URL blocklists. Scam protection is intended to catch more advanced schemes, including lookalike websites, tech support scams, and pages that try to trick users into handing over payment details or remote access credentials.
Modern scams are increasingly difficult to identify. Fraudsters often build sites that copy a trusted bank, courier, or government portal down to the logo and page layout. They may use realistic domain names, urgent pop-up messages, and even phone numbers that appear local. Traditional security filters can stop known bad sites, but they struggle with brand-new domains created minutes before an attack. The updated scam protection in Edge is designed to evaluate pages in real time and look for behavioral signals that indicate social engineering or deception.
If the browser suspects that a site is trying to push a scam, it can present a full-page warning before the user continues. These alerts are intentionally difficult to ignore, often accompanied by visual warnings and plain-language explanations of the risk. The goal is not merely to block a URL but to slow down users who are about to make a potentially harmful decision. In that sense, Edge is moving from purely technical security to a broader model of user protection that considers context, page behavior, and the tactics commonly used by online fraudsters.
The scam protection feature is especially valuable in a world where scammers are using artificial intelligence to craft more convincing phishing messages and fake customer support interactions. Attackers now use AI tools to localize their lures, personalize them with details scraped from social media, and automate conversations with victims. A browser-level safety net can act as an additional checkpoint before a user enters credentials on a fraudulent page or clicks a suspicious download button.
Microsoft is positioning this as part of Edge’s broader security story. The company has been investing in password monitoring, phishing prevention, and secure DNS, and the new scam protection layer builds on those efforts. It may also be integrated with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, which uses cloud-based reputation data to evaluate websites and files. For consumers, the result should be more proactive warnings that appear before damage is done, rather than after a site has already been blocked by conventional filters.
Edge Drop has reached the end of the road
While those new features improve the day-to-day experience for many users, the update also marks the end of Edge Drop. Microsoft has officially confirmed that the feature is being retired after a run that never quite found a mass audience.
Edge Drop was introduced as a lightweight way to send files between your own devices. It lived in the Edge sidebar, where users could drag a document, image, or note and then pick another device to send it to. On the receiving end, the file would appear in the Drop section, ready to be downloaded. The feature was especially handy for people who used Edge on a Windows PC and then wanted quick access to a file on their phone or another computer.
Despite its convenience, Edge Drop occupied an odd position in Microsoft’s product lineup. It competed with cloud storage services like OneDrive and iCloud, and it required users to change their habits to move files into the browser boundary. Most people already had a default way to move files between devices, whether that was a cloud drive, a USB cable, or a messaging app. For many users, Edge Drop was a nice idea that did not become part of their regular routine.
The retirement of Edge Drop has practical consequences. Files that were sent through the feature are not necessarily gone the moment support ends, but Microsoft is expected to preserve them in a form users can still access for a limited time. Anyone who relies on Edge Drop should open the sidebar and download any important documents, photos, or notes before the removal is finalized. Once the feature is fully disabled, there may be no obvious way to retrieve the stored items from inside the browser.
Microsoft’s decision to end Edge Drop is consistent with a broader trend of simplifying the browser. Edge has added many experimental and niche features since its move to the Chromium engine, and not all of them have justified their ongoing development costs. Rather than keeping a semi-maintained feature alive, Microsoft seems to be focused on the areas that matter most: security, AI tools, and the core browsing experience.
The end of real-time video translation
The other retired feature is real-time video translation. This was a more ambitious addition that allowed Edge to translate video content as it played, making foreign-language videos more accessible without needing to search for subtitles or manually translate a transcript.
Real-time video translation was initially promoted as a powerful accessibility feature, especially for users who watch lectures, news clips, or international content. In practice, the feature depended on machine translation models that had to process speech quickly enough to keep up with the video. It worked for some languages and scenarios, but it also suffered from accuracy problems, latency, and the challenge of identifying speakers and context in real time.
By officially ending this feature, Microsoft acknowledges that the technology is not ready for primetime in its current form. Video translation remains a difficult problem, and even dedicated translation platforms often produce awkward or incorrect results when dealing with fast speech, technical jargon, or multiple speakers in a single scene. The feature may have also placed a heavy load on system resources, since continuous translation requires audio capture, speech recognition, translation, and text rendering to happen simultaneously.
Users who enjoyed real-time video translation will need to go back to more traditional tools. Many streaming platforms already provide subtitles or closed captions, and there are browser extensions that can translate those captions into another language. Some AI-powered apps can summarize or translate audio files, but they generally work as separate tools rather than integrated browser features. For now, Microsoft has made its position clear: Edge will no longer pretend to provide real-time translation of video audio.
It is possible that the feature will return later in a more capable form. Microsoft has invested heavily in generative AI and language models, and it may continue to look for ways to break down language barriers across its products. But the version of real-time video translation that users have tested in Edge is now officially over, and Microsoft is removing it from the browser as part of this update.
For users, the newest Edge update therefore represents both progress and subtraction. On the positive side, Apple users get a more natural way to sign in, and everyone benefits from stronger scam protection. On the other side, anyone who has come to depend on Edge Drop or real-time video translation will have to find an alternative before Microsoft switches those features off completely. This is the latest sign that Microsoft wants Edge to be a sharper, more focused browser rather than a home for every experimental idea developed in Redmond.
Source: Windows Central News