Chromebooks Finally Saying Goodbye to Adobe Flash

New: Visit the OPSRC Tech Talks page to view videos and download resource slides on many different technology tools designed for classrooms.

‍

It all started with the release of the first iPhone in 2007. Apple said that it would not support Adobe Flash on iOS because it was a resource hog with security risks, and it was buggy software that required constant updates. With the release of the iPhone, Apple knew that to maximize user experience, it couldn’t have software on devices that would drain the battery.

Finally in July 2017, Adobe released a blog post stating it would kill Flash by the end of 2020. Adobe stated that Flash was no longer needed for websites with the release of open standards like HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly and recommended that web developers switch to these standards.

For the last two years, browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Safari began blocking Flash. It would no longer play automatically, and you had to give it permission.

If you are using the Chrome browser on computers or on Chromebooks, starting with Chrome 76, which was just released, Flash will be entirely blocked. If you must, you can still turn Flash on in settings, but you will have to give permission, site by site, before it will work. However, the Chrome browser will tell you that it’s not recommended. And according to Google, Flash will be removed entirely from Chrome by the end of 2020, the date Adobe has set.

Hopefully any education websites you use that were based on Flash have already been switched to HTML5 or another open standard. If not, and you are using Chromebooks, either move away from those sites or change the settings in Chrome for the next year. If you need to change the settings, you can find “Flash” listed under “Site Settings” under “Privacy and Security” or just search within settings for Flash.

If you need assistance on how to do this, please contact me at any time. Always happy to assist!