Microsoft has announced that cross-device synchronization for Microsoft Entra will be deprecated in January 2024. The company detailed its upcoming changes in its ongoing deprecation features list. According to the update, Microsoft will also cease storing specific user data by early next year. The change will primarily affect users of Windows 10, as Microsoft Entra's service was already unavailable in the newly released Windows 11 operating system.
Microsoft´s Entra product family is a suite of cloud-based solutions for enterprise customers that, after a recent change also includes Microsoft Entra ID which was previously called Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
Maintaining Continuity – Local Activity History Access
Despite the upcoming shift of ending cross-device synchronization for Microsoft Entra, Microsoft ensures that users can still access their local activity history on Windows 10 even after the deprecation. It should be noted that cross-device syncing of user activity history with Microsoft Entra will halt starting January 2024, marking a significant departure from previous practices. Following its changes for Microsoft accounts in 2021, Microsoft will stop storing this data in the cloud, which used to play an integral role in the cross-device syncing feature.
User Accessibility – A Silver Lining
The timeline user experience, a feature that offered chronological visualization of previous user activities, was retired along with the debut of Windows 11. Yet, it remains as a core feature in Windows 10 and will continue to be so; notably, local activity history will still be accessible to users on Windows 10 devices. Without Microsoft Entra cross-device sync, users can utilize alternative methods for accessing their activity history, such as their web history stored in browsers or recent files via Microsoft OneDrive and Office platforms.
