The May 2020 Update has now started rolling out now to Windows 10 users, and in addition to a series of new features and improvements, it comes with some changes concerning the existing features of the operating system. As usual, Microsoft has detailed the features that have been either removed or deprecated in the May 2020 Update.
Starting off with the features being deprecated and that will go dark at some point in the future, which includes Companion Device Framework, Dynamic Disks, and the legacy Edge browser.
- Companion Device Framework: The Companion Device Framework is no longer under active development.
- Microsoft Edge: The legacy version of Microsoft Edge is no longer being developed.
- Dynamic Disks: The Dynamic Disks feature is no longer being developed. This feature will be fully replaced by Storage Spaces in a future release.
As you probably know, Microsoft has already released its new Chromium powered Edge browser earlier this year, so the legacy version (EdgeHTML) is no longer being developed. As for the Windows Hello companion device framework, this is a specialized feature that lets you sign in to Windows 10 on external devices, improving the user authentication experience when biometrics are not available.
Fortunately, the Redmond giant didn’t kill off tons of features in the May 2020 Update, and you can find the full list below:
- Cortana: Cortana has been updated and enhanced in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update. With these changes, some previously available consumer skills such as music, connected home, and other non-Microsoft skills are no longer available.
- Windows To Go: Windows To Go was announced as deprecated in Windows 10, version 1903 and is removed in this release.
- Mobile Plans and Messaging apps: Both apps are still supported, but are now distributed in a different way. OEMs can now include these apps in Windows images for cellular enabled devices. The apps are removed for non-cellular devices.
For those unfamiliar, Windows To Go allowed users to create a Windows To Go workspace that can be booted from a USB-connected external drive on Windows 10 Education and Enterprise editions. This feature was introduced with Windows 8, and it was supported until Windows 10 version 1809, and was later deprecated with the release of the Windows 10 May 2019 update.
Lastly, Microsoft has also removed the built-in Messaging and Mobile plans apps in the May 2020 Update for devices with no cellular connectivity. These two apps are still supported by Microsoft, but it’s now up to PC manufacturers to include them on the rare PCs that ship with cellular connectivity.
