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Microsoft’s recent release of Windows Copilot seems to mean the end of Cortana at the same time. In a support document spotted by Windows Central, Microsoft says that starting in late 2023, the company will stop supporting the standalone Cortana app. This is limited to Cortana built into Windows though, Cortana in Outlook mobile, Teams Mobile, Teams display, and Teams rooms will continue to exist.
Cortana first debuted in 2014 as a digital assistant for Windows Mobile devices, competing with Apple’s Siri, but it has not been as popular as Siri or Google’s assistant. After that, Microsoft built Cortana into Windows, but unfortunately not many people use it. In the end, Cortana became an independent app that can be downloaded from the Windows Store in 2019, and now even this independent app is coming to an end.
At least, Cortana didn’t die when there was no successor, but when Microsoft’s AI ecosystem was actively developing. Microsoft pointed out that users will be able to use the new AI capabilities on Windows and Edge browsers, as well as Bing equipped with GPT-4 technology, and the Copilot tool in Microsoft 365. Although it is no longer a “virtual character” that can talk to you, Windows Copilot still surpasses Cortana too much in terms of ability and practicality.