Microsoft retires Cortana support on iOS and Android

[harlan4096]

Remember Cortana? The digital assistant that Microsoft integrated into the company's Windows 10 operating system? Microsoft went all in on the digital assistant when it first launched Windows 10 and even made Cortana something that users could not remove anymore when it launched the Anniversary Update for the operating system.

Cortana was released for iOS and Android, and also integrated into the Microsoft Launcher application. The digital assistant was never released for previous versions of Windows, however.

Reports started to appear in early 2019 that Microsoft planned to change how Cortana was used fundamentally.

A new Microsoft support article confirms that Microsoft will retire Cortana support on iOS and Android, and also in the Microsoft Launcher application.

To make your personal digital assistant as helpful as possible, we’re integrating Cortana into your Microsoft 365 productivity apps. As part of this evolution, on January 31st, 2020, we’re ending support for the Cortana app on Android and iOS in your market.

Microsoft won't support the Cortana mobile application after January 31, 2020 anymore and Microsoft Launcher won't support Cortana anymore as well after that day.

The company notes that users may still access reminders and lists through Cortana on Windows, and that reminders, lists and tasks are synced automatically to the Microsoft To Do application which is available for mobile devices.

At that point, the Cortana content you created–such as reminders and lists–will no longer function in the Cortana mobile app or Microsoft Launcher, but can still be accessed through Cortana on Windows. Also, Cortana reminders, lists, and tasks are automatically synced to the Microsoft To Do app, which you can download to your phone for free.

Microsoft plans to replace the integrated Cortana with a Cortana application on Windows 10 devices in the future.

Cortana will be integrated into Microsoft 365 productivity apps according to Microsoft. The move limits access to Cortana as Microsoft 365 is only available to Enterprise and small business customers at the time of writing.
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