The Cortana app for Windows 11 has officially been killed off by Microsoft.
A recent update has been released for Cortana, which deactivates the digital assistant. This move comes three years after Microsoft shut down its Cortana apps for iOS and Android.
If you try to launch Cortana on a Windows 11 system, you will receive a notification stating that the app is no longer supported, along with a link to a support article explaining the change.
Microsoft’s plan includes discontinuing support for Cortana in Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams Display, and Microsoft Teams Rooms, scheduled for the autumn of 2023. Interestingly, Microsoft has announced that Cortana will remain available within Outlook mobile.
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Cortana’s origins trace back to its role as a digital assistant on Windows Phone. Microsoft later incorporated this assistant into Windows 10 in 2015. It was seamlessly integrated into the Windows 10 taskbar, boasting capabilities such as responding to voice commands, setting reminders, and launching applications.
While initially present in the Windows 11 taskbar and initial boot setup, Microsoft eventually removed Cortana from these aspects, while maintaining the standalone app until recently.
Despite undergoing a significant redesign for iOS and Android, Cortana found itself struggling to match the prowess of competitors like Alexa and Google Assistant. The trajectory of Cortana’s journey was closely intertwined with the setbacks faced by Windows Phone, as acknowledged by Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, in 2019. He openly admitted that Cortana had fallen behind its rivals.
As for the future, Microsoft is in the process of developing “Windows Copilot,” a fresh sidebar feature tailored for Windows 11. This new assistant will harness the capabilities of Bing Chat, enabling it to manage Windows settings, provide answers to inquiries, and perform various other functions.
Anticipated to debut this autumn, Windows Copilot will be incorporated into a forthcoming Windows 11 update, which will also introduce built-in support for RAR and 7-Zip formats.
Via: The Verge
