Microsoft has decided to deprecate the Cortana app on Windows devices as the digital assistant reaches End of Support. This comes just a month after the company published an End of Support document on Cortana confirming the digital assistant"s demise.
Now, the company has disabled the standalone Cortana app on Windows 11 devices. The updated version of the Cortana app now notes that “Cortana in Windows as a standalone app is deprecated”.
The screen also has a learn more button that redirects to Microsoft"s documentation page. The Redmond giant notes that Cortana will stop working on Windows devices starting August 2023.
Starting in August 2023, we will no longer support Cortana in Windows as a standalone app. However, you can still access powerful productivity features in Windows and Edge, which have increased AI capabilities. This means you can still get help with your tasks, calendar, and email, but in new and exciting ways. This change only impacts Cortana in Windows, and your productivity assistant, Cortana, will continue to be available in Outlook mobile, Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams display, and Microsoft Teams rooms.
Microsoft first announced Cortana in 2014 to compete with Apple"s Siri voice assistant. Cortana sat on Windows Phone devices and offered a way for users to interact with the digital assistant as well as offer a helping hand to the users.
However, the digital assistant did not do well and in 2020, Microsoft announced that it will kill the Cortana apps, which the company did in 2021.
Microsoft plans to replace Cortana with its upcoming Windows Copilot, which is powered by Bing and uses generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist the user. Windows Copilot was first announced during Build 2023 and is currently being tested on Windows Insider builds.
Windows Copilot is expected to come out later this year Windows 11 23H2 update.
While Microsoft is discontinuing Cortana, the change only impacts Windows and Cortana will continue to be available on Outlook mobile, Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams display, and Microsoft Teams rooms.
If you still have Cortana app installed on your Windows device then you can check out our tutorial on how to uninstall Cortana on Windows 11 devices.