Microsoft has formally discontinued its Cortana app for Home windows 11, the newest model of its working system. The app, which was a digital assistant that might carry out duties like setting reminders, opening purposes, and answering questions, is now not purposeful on Home windows 11 units.
The corporate introduced the change in a help article, the place it additionally revealed that it’ll finish help for Cortana in a few of its different merchandise, akin to Groups cellular, Groups Show, and Groups Rooms, by the autumn of 2023. Nevertheless, Cortana will nonetheless be out there in Outlook cellular, in line with Microsoft.
“We’re making some modifications to Home windows and Microsoft 365 that may affect Cortana customers. Cortana in Home windows as a standalone app is deprecated. Assist for Cortana in Groups cellular, Microsoft Groups show, and Microsoft Groups Rooms will finish within the fall of 2023. Cortana in Outlook cellular will proceed to be out there,” Microsoft wrote within the help article.
Cortana was first launched in Home windows Cellphone, Microsoft’s cellular working system that didn’t compete with Android and iOS. The assistant was then built-in into Home windows 10 in 2015, the place it had a distinguished place within the taskbar. Nevertheless, Microsoft determined to take away Cortana from the Home windows 11 taskbar and first boot expertise and solely saved the standalone app till this week.
The demise of Cortana isn’t a surprise, because the assistant struggled to achieve recognition and market share in opposition to rivals like Alexa or Google Assistant. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella admitted in 2019 that Cortana had fallen behind rivals.
Microsoft just isn’t giving up on digital assistants fully, although. The corporate is engaged on a brand new characteristic for Home windows 11 known as Home windows Copilot, which is a sidebar that may management Home windows settings, reply questions, and extra. Home windows Copilot is powered by Bing Chat, a conversational AI service that may chat with customers about numerous matters. Home windows Copilot is anticipated to be out there this fall as a part of a Home windows 11 replace that can even embody native RAR and 7-Zip help.
In the meantime, Microsoft has introduced the rollout of Home windows Copilot preview to the beta channel. testers can obtain the preview that provides an AI-infused sidebar, which was first introduced at Construct 2023.
“This primary preview focuses on our built-in UI expertise, with further performance coming down the street in future previews”, the corporate wrote in a weblog put up.
To check out this preview characteristic, you have to be within the beta channel and have the next variations or larger of Home windows 11 and Microsoft Edge: Home windows 11 Insider Preview Construct 22631.2129 and Microsoft Edge model 115.0.1901.150.
