How the End of Flash Affects Articulate Apps and Courses
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It's the end of an era. Adobe discontinued Flash at the end of 2020. As of January 2021, the digital world is officially free of Flash. Microsoft won't allow the Flash Player to operate on supported versions of Windows, and web browsers won't run Flash content. Here's how the end of Flash affects your Articulate apps and courses.
Articulate 360 and Storyline 3
The good news is that Articulate 360 and Storyline 3 were architected without Flash dependencies, so these apps continue to work since Adobe discontinued Flash.
Your published courses will also continue to work if they include HTML5 output. However, if you have Flash-only courses, you’ll need to republish them to HTML5 before December 31, 2020 for them to continue working.
Legacy Versions of Storyline and Studio
The following versions of Storyline, Studio, and Replay rely on Flash to operate. As a result, we must sadly end support for these apps when Adobe disables Flash Players in January 2021.
- Storyline 1
- Storyline 2
- Studio ‘09
- Studio ‘13
- Replay 1
Any courses you previously published to Flash will need to be republished to HTML5 before December 31, 2020 to continue working. Need help getting started? Check out our article on 4 Simple Steps for Updating Old E-Learning Courses.
Note that HTML5 output from Storyline 1, Storyline 2, and Studio ‘13 works in Google Chrome and Safari. However, it won’t work reliably in other browsers. (Studio ‘09 doesn’t publish HTML5 output.)
We recommend that you upgrade to Storyline 3 or Articulate 360 (which includes both Storyline 360 and Studio 360) as these apps don’t have any Flash dependencies and their HTML5 output works in all major browsers. Compare versions of Storyline and Studio to see all the new features you’ll get.
Do you have Storyline 1 or Storyline 2 with an unused Platinum Membership Plan (PMP) upgrade? Good news! You can upgrade to Storyline 3 for free or to Articulate 360 for at least 50% off the first year of your subscription. Contact us for details.
FAQs
- Do I need to republish courses that include both Flash and HTML5 output?
- Are projects from legacy apps compatible with Articulate 360 and Storyline 3?
- Will the Articulate Mobile Player still work?
- Can we still use Internet Explorer to view published courses?
- What happens to Flash movies in my published courses?
- Will legacy versions of Storyline and Studio still work when Flash is discontinued?
- Microsoft released a Flash-removal update. What happens if I install it?
- Will you remove Flash importing and publishing from supported apps?
Do I need to republish courses that include both Flash and HTML5 output?
Articulate 360 and Storyline 3
Your published courses will continue to work if they include HTML5 output. Web browsers will simply ignore the Flash content and display the HTML5 version instead.
Storyline 1, Storyline 2, and Studio ‘13
Your published courses will continue to work if they include HTML5 output. Web browsers will simply ignore the Flash content and display the HTML5 version instead. However, HTML5 output from our legacy apps only works in Google Chrome and Safari. It won’t work reliably in other browsers.
We recommend that you upgrade to Storyline 3 or Articulate 360 (which includes both Storyline 360 and Studio 360) as these apps don’t have any Flash dependencies and their HTML5 output works in all major browsers.
Are projects from legacy apps compatible with Articulate 360 and Storyline 3?
Yes. Projects you created with Storyline 1, Storyline 2, Studio ‘09, and Studio ‘13 are fully compatible with newer versions of Storyline and Studio. Open your projects and publish to HTML5. It’s that easy! Your published output will be Flash-free and look beautiful on any device with the responsive player in Storyline 360, Storyline 3, and Studio 360. Learn more about all the improvements you’ll see:
- Upgrading Courses to Storyline 360
- Upgrading Courses to Storyline 3
- Upgrading Courses to Presenter 360
- Upgrading Quizzes to Quizmaker 360
- Upgrading Interactions to Engage 360
Will the Articulate Mobile Player still work?
Articulate Mobile Player (AMP) courses rely on Flash output, so we’ll end support for the AMP app on December 31, 2020. Since operating systems plan to disable Flash at the end of 2020, we don’t expect AMP to continue working after that.
HTML5 support has matured in all major browsers, making HTML5 the best experience for mobile learners. And courses look beautiful on any device with the responsive player that’s built into Storyline 360, Storyline 3, and Studio 360.
Because AMP is the default viewing option for Android devices and iPads, we recommend republishing your courses to HTML5 without AMP output by December 31, 2020 so they’ll automatically open in learners’ mobile browsers instead.
Can we still use Internet Explorer to view published courses?
HTML5 courses that you published with Storyline 360, Storyline 3, and Studio 360 will continue to work in Internet Explorer 11. Older versions of Internet Explorer won’t be supported when Flash retires. Find all of our supported browsers here:
Note: Following Microsoft's lead, we stopped supporting Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) in 2022. Read this article to learn more about IE11's end of life.
What happens to Flash movies in my published courses?
Flash movies (SWF files) only work in Flash courses. As a result, they’ll stop working on January 1, 2021. We recommend replacing Flash movies with non-Flash videos, such as MP4 files, and then republishing your courses as HTML5 output.
Will legacy versions of Storyline and Studio still work when Flash is discontinued?
No. After 2020, Microsoft won't allow Flash to operate on supported versions of Windows. Since Storyline 1, Storyline 2, Studio '09, Studio '13, and Replay 1 require Flash to operate, these legacy apps won't work when Adobe disables Flash Players.
We recommend that you upgrade to Storyline 3 or Articulate 360 (which includes both Storyline 360 and Studio 360) as these apps don’t have any Flash dependencies and their HTML5 output works in all major browsers. Compare versions of Storyline and Studio to see all the new features you’ll get.
Do you have Storyline 1 or Storyline 2 with an unused Platinum Membership Plan (PMP) upgrade? Good news! You can upgrade to Storyline 3 for free or to Articulate 360 for at least 50% off the first year of your subscription. Contact us for details.
Microsoft released a Flash-removal update. What happens if I install it?
After installing Microsoft's Flash-removal update, legacy Articulate apps will stop working, and Flash-only courses won't load.
On October 27, 2020, Microsoft released update KB4577586, which removes the Flash Player from supported versions of Windows, including Windows 10 and Windows 8. Although the official end of Flash isn't until December 31, 2020, Microsoft released the update early so customers can test it in their environments.
After installing the Flash-removal update:
- Storyline 3 and Articulate 360 (which includes Storyline 360 and Studio 360) will continue to work since they don't have Flash dependencies.
- Storyline 1, Storyline 2, Studio '09, and Studio '13 will prompt you to install the Flash Player, which won't be possible.
- Storyline 2 will still open, but it won't be fully operable.
- Storyline 1, Studio '09, Studio '13, and Replay 1 won't work at all.
- Flash-only courses won't load in your web browser. HTML5 content will continue to work as expected.
Will you remove Flash importing and publishing from supported apps?
Yes. We removed Flash features from the following products:
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