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A Closer Look at the Microsoft Edge Release Schedule During the Pandemic

Microsoft aligns Edge updates with Google Chrome’s

Apr 2, 2020 10:15 GMT  ·  By
The current stable version of Microsoft Edge
   The current stable version of Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is using the same engine as Google Chrome, so Microsoft and Google are now working together on many of the Chromium improvements that end up powering the two browsers.

And at the same time, the two companies have also aligned their releases to match updates brought to the Chromium engine.

A few days ago, Google announced that Chrome would skip version 82 completely due to the coronavirus outbreak, as the company wants to give developers fewer things to worry about when it comes to major updates. The updated schedule technically means the next major Chrome release wouldn’t include anything else than critical security patches and bug fixes.

Microsoft has thus decided to update its Edge release calendar as well to align with Google’s.

First and foremost, let’s see how Microsoft updated Edge before the pandemic:

  • Edge Canary – Daily updates
  • Edge Dev – Weekly updates
  • Edge beta – Updates every six weeks
  • Edge stable – Releases after beta testing is completed
Due to the pandemic, Microsoft is making changes to the way stable updates are delivered according to the changes made to the Chromium project.

“We are making this change to be consistent with the Chromium project, which recently announced a similar pause due to adjusted schedules, and out of a desire to minimize additional impact to web developers and organizations that are similarly impacted,” Microsoft says.

So basically, only the stable channel is impacted, which means the Canary, Dev, and Beta builds will continue to be updated normally according to the schedule mentioned above.

With Microsoft Edge already available at version 80, the next major release was version 81, followed by version 82 in approximately a month, and then version 83 after another month. But Microsoft is changing this schedule as it follows:

  • Microsoft Edge 81: Early April
  • Microsoft Edge 82: Canceled
  • Microsoft Edge 83: Mid-May
In other words, Microsoft will skip Edge version 82 completely, thus giving devs more time to prepare for the release of version 83. This is something that Google also announced for Chrome browser.
  • Google Chrome 81: The week of April 7
  • Google Chrome 82: Canceled
  • Google Chrome 83: Mid-May
Google says it’s also making changes to the testing builds to align with this updated schedule:
  • Google Chrome 81: Promoted to Beta
  • Google Chrome 83: Promoted to Dev
Thanks to the migration to Chromium, Microsoft Edge is now available on Windows and macOS, so every single update can impact many more devices than before when Edge legacy was only offered to Windows 10 users. Just like Google, Microsoft says it’ll continue to monitor the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and make further changes when they are required.

Microsoft Edge is the default browser on Windows 10, and it’s updated via Windows Update, so new builds are shipped automatically when they are promoted to the stable channel. On the other hand, users can also install the Canary, Dev, and Beta builds on their devices and run them side by side with the stable version.

Going forward, installing these testing versions of the browser is pretty much the easiest way to continue getting updates at a faster pace, albeit it’s important to keep in mind these aren’t recommended on production machines. This is because they are supposed to help test certain features and some improvements may not work as expected every time.

From my experience, however, Microsoft Edge Dev has encountered only small issues since Microsoft shipped the browser earlier this year, but you’re still recommended to stick with the stable channel if you’re not in the mood for bug testing these days.