Got a tip for us?Let us know

a. Send us an email
b. Anonymous form

Microsoft Shutting Down Cortana App for iOS and Android

Friday July 31, 2020 12:29 PM PDT by Juli Clover

Microsoft today announced plans to "shift toward a transformational AI-powered assistant experience" in its Microsoft 365 apps, which will involve refocusing its "areas of innovation and development."

As a result, Microsoft is ending all support for third-party Cortana skills and eliminating the Cortana apps for iOS and Android devices. Third-party Cortana skills will be deprecated on September 7, while the iOS and Android apps will stop being supported in early 2021.

Microsoft says that the Cortana Windows 10 experience, Cortana integration in Outlook mobile, and upcoming Cortana voice assistance in the Teams mobile app can be used to do things like manage calendar and email and join meetings.

Microsoft also plans to end support for the Cortana integration in the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker in January 2021. Speaker owners who used Cortana are eligible for a $50 Microsoft gift card as compensation.

Tags: Cortana, Microsoft

Top Rated Comments

farewelwilliams

56 months ago

a digital assistant that you had to launch the app manually in order to use turns out to be not very useful? who would have seen that coming?

Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)

eoblaed

56 months ago

Translation: No one was using this thing.

Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Black Magic

56 months ago

This is why I don't jump on Microsoft or Google consumer products. They more than likely will be abandoned. I posted this many years back in this forum and MS fanboys got heated.

Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ck2875

56 months ago

Microsoft today announced ('https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4575625/upcoming-changes-to-cortana') plans to "shift toward a transformational AI-powered assistant experience" in its Microsoft 365 apps,

That would be quite a shift.

Clippy enters the conversation.

"Hi, it looks like you're trying to shift toward a transformational AI-powered assistant experience."

"Would you like help?"

Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Rychiar

56 months ago

who knew it existed??‍♂️ and what was it even for?. AI assistants that aren't system wide are kinda useless...

Google assistant on iOS seems to be doing fine and has to be launched manually.

does anyone use that?

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

reubs

56 months ago

I was always kind of jealous that the Microsoft AI assistant was Cortona. I wanted to feel like Master Chief telling it to remind me to get my library books.

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Read All Comments

Popular Stories

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....

• 90 comments

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...

• 320 comments

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by Tim Hardwick

Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....

• 26 comments

iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...

• 150 comments

iPhone 7 Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter

Apple Seemingly Discontinuing Lightning to Headphone Jack Adapter Introduced Alongside iPhone 7

Sunday November 17, 2024 12:33 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

It appears that Apple is discontinuing the Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter that it released alongside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016. The adapter was recently listed as "sold out" on Apple's online store in the U.S. and most other countries, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The adapter remains available from Apple in only a handful of countries, such as...

• 170 comments

It's 2009 Again: Apple is Apparently Reconsidering Making a TV

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:27 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Between around 2009 and 2011, it was repeatedly rumored that Apple would be releasing a TV, but that obviously never happened. Now, a decade-and-a-half later, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says the idea is back on the table. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman briefly mentioned that Apple has been "evaluating" the "idea of making an Apple-branded TV set." He did not provide any further...

• 379 comments