As Microsoft appears to be in the midst of app update storm today, another company is delivering some bad news for users on older operating systems. Earlier today, Google announced the end of Chrome support for Windows XP, Windows Vista as well as Mac OSX 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8.
The news, while disappointing for some, shouldn’t be all too surprising. Microsoft ended support for Windows XP and Vista some time ago, leaving those operating systems without critical security updates. As the systems lacked critical updates, there was only so much Chrome could do to protect users from potential viruses or malware without the help of Microsoft patching its own OS.
Earlier this year, we announced that Google Chrome would continue support for Windows XP through the remainder of 2015. At that time, we strongly encouraged users on older, unsupported platforms such as Windows XP to update to a supported, secure operating system. Such older platforms are missing critical security updates and have a greater potential to be infected by viruses and malware.
Starting April 2016, Google will stop updating its Chrome browser with security fixes and updates. The browser, much like the older operating systems will continue to function. However, users will be operating at their own risk.
While Google would probably prefer users to move on to Chromebooks for their Chrome needs, it might be safe to say, the company would prefer users to upgrade to Windows 7, 8, or 10 soon.
