Microsoft is planning to remove Cortana from its Microsoft Launcher app and retiring the standalone Cortana app. According to notes in recently published support document, the company will be discontinuing the digital assistant for Android and iOS outside the United States on January 31, 2020.
Cortana was originally available on the Microsoft Launcher in the early months of 2018, and since then, the feature received a number of updates, but now, it seems that Cortana will cease to exist in mobile devices very soon.
However, it’s not the case that Microsoft is giving up on the assistant. Instead, the software giant is shifting focus and making Cortana a productivity feature and something a little more for businesses. Also, the assistant will continue to be accessible from Windows 10 devices.
You can already see some of these changes with the new features, such as new male voice option and Outlook and calendar integration, that Microsoft announced during its Ignite conference.
If you have reminders, tasks, and lists with Cortana, they already sync to the Microsoft To Do app automatically, and you can download them to your phone for free.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.