Adobe Flash Player, the browser plug-in behind many animations on the internet, has finally been discontinued.

It had been a popular way for people to stream videos and play games online that could be downloaded quickly via a dial-up internet connection after it was released in 1996.

It also let websites such as YouTube stream high-quality video.

Microsoft said the decision to discontinue, which was originally announced in July 2017, was made “due to the diminished usage of the technology and the availability of better, more secure options”.

Customers will no longer receive security updates for support for Adobe Flash Player on Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs wrote a critical open letter in April 2010 – called Thoughts On Flash – detailing why it would not be allowed to run on products such as iPhones and iPads.

He said Flash did not suit touchscreens, and he cited security, battery life and user experience as other issues as he said other technologies could be used to help deliver videos and animations.

Flash remained a fixture for desktop computers but it suffered security flaws and by 2015 Google’s Chrome had started blocking some pieces of its content.

Adobe’s website has told users to uninstall Flash Player.

It states: “Since Adobe will no longer be supporting Flash Player after December 31 2020 and Adobe will block Flash content from running in Flash Player beginning January 12 2021, Adobe strongly recommends all users immediately uninstall Flash Player to help protect their systems.”