Microsoft's Cortana is going away for some iOS and Android devices
Microsoft's voice assistant Cortana has had a rough road, and in some countries, it's going to disappear entirely. The tech company is going to pull support for the digital A.I. on iOS and Android devices starting on January 31, 2020 for a number of countries, although not the U.S. at this time.
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Cortana has hit bumps and bruises since launching, never enjoying the name recognition, nor the adoption, of its competitors including Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant. Microsoft also admitted in August 2019, that the company had hired human listeners to examine recordings made over Skype, and conversations people have had with Cortana.
Support for Microsoft's voice assistant is going to be pulled at the end of January 2020 for those using IOS and Android devices in eight countries including the United Kingdom (U.K.), Canada, Australia and also Germany, Mexico, China, Spain and India, which Microsoft confirmed to GearBrain.
"Cortana is an integral part of our broader vision to bring the power of conversational computing and productivity to all our platforms and devices," said a Microsoft spokesperson in an email to GearBrain. "To make Cortana as helpful as possible, we're integrating Cortana deeper into your Microsoft 365 productivity apps, and part of this evolution involves ending support for the Cortana mobile app on Android and iOS."
What does this mean for Cortana users in these countries? As Microsoft states in a post for those in U.K., content that's been built through Cortana — from reminders to lists — won't be able to be accessed in the Cortana mobile app on iOS and Android devices. Microsoft Launcher also won't support Cortana anymore either.
"After January 31st, 2020, the Cortana mobile app on your phone will no longer be supported and there will be an updated version of Microsoft Launcher with Cortana removed," Microsoft stated.
Users, however, will still be able to find their data is they tap into Cortana on Windows, and also if they use the Microsoft To Do app, which can be downloaded to smartphones for free.
"To make your personal digital assistant as helpful as possible, we're integrating Cortana into your Microsoft 365 productivity apps," Microsoft states. "As part of this evolution, on January 31st, 2020, we're ending support for the Cortana app on Android and iOS in your market."
Updated at 10:40 am ET November 19th with comment from Microsoft.
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