As a result of Cortana failing to catch up with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa in the recent months, Microsoft is cutting its losses and shifting its approach with the digital assistant.
For example, starting with the Insider preview build 18317, part of the 19H1 development coming in spring of 2019, Windows 10 is officially splitting Cortana and Search in the taskbar into two separate features.
After upgrading to version 1903, you’ll notice two buttons in the taskbar giving users the freedom to search documents, images, and other files without the need to use the digital assistant, which has been one of the problems for users with the old approach.
According to the software giant, the separation of Cortana and Search will allow to bring new features and improvements to each functionality independently.
However, Cortana failing to dominate the digital assistant market doesn’t mean that it’s going away. During a press event, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella revealed that the company will no longer try to compete with Google and Amazon, and moving forward it’ll work to make Cortana an assistant that works with Alexa and Google Assistant in the same way you use Microsoft apps on Android and iOS.
Microsoft is already working with Amazon to bring Cortana support to Alexa, which clearly signals that Cortana is becoming an experience that works across platforms, but the company still has to get approval from Google to bring integration with the search giant assistant.
What do you think about Cortana and Search disappearing as a single feature on Windows 10? Tell us in the comments.
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.