Microsoft Shuts Down Cortana Support on iOS and Android

Microsoft has officially shut down support of the Cortana app on both iOS and Android. In recent months, Microsoft has been shuttering its support of the AI personal assistant across multiple devices. This has now lead to the company removing support from mobile devices and pulling the app from the App Store and Google’s Play Store.

Microsoft’s plan to close down support of the Cortana app was first revealed on July 31st, 2020. On a support page update, Microsoft informed users that support of the Cortana app on mobile has come to a close as of March 31st, 2021. As first spotted by MacRumors, the page reads:

“As we announced in July, we will soon be ending support for the Cortana app on Android and iOS, as Cortana continues its evolution as a productivity assistant. As of March 31, 2021, the Cortana content you created–such as reminders and lists–will no longer function in the Cortana mobile app, but can still be accessed through Cortana in Windows.”

The page then goes on to state that Cortana reminders, lists, and tasks are automatically synced and accessible through Microsoft’s To Do app. The app is available to download on iOS and Android for free.

Microsoft’s Cortana app for iOS and Android was first released in late 2015. The vision was to create an AI-powered personal assistant connecting a user’s mobile device with their Windows PC. As with competitors like Google Assistant and Alexa, Microsoft envisioned a future where the Cortana app would service smart home devices like speakers, thermostats, etc.

This began to come to fruition as the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker released with support for Cortana. However, the company was unable to fully leverage Cortana as it failed to gain enough traction against competitors. Earlier this month, Harman Kardon released an Invoke speaker update to disable Cortana.

Cortana will live on as the company pivots its efforts to focus on “transformational AI-powered assistant experience” in Microsoft 365. This includes more personalized support within Outlook for Exchange users and adding Cortana support in the Teams mobile app to manage emails, calendars, and more.

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