Microsoft is ditching Cortana … on mobile, in only 8 countries

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Bye-Cortana
But Cortana isn't dead yet.
Photo: Microsoft/Cult of Mac

Microsoft has confirmed plans to kill off Cortana — but only on mobile in only eight countries.

A new support article confirms that the Cortana app will disappear on January 31. You will still see it in Windows 10, and Microsoft says it will be more deeply integrated into Office 365.

Cortana has never really put up much of a fight against the likes of Siri and Amazon Alexa. Even Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella no longer sees it as an Alexa or Google Assistant competitor.

It’s no surprise Microsoft is scaling back Cortana support on mobile, then. Its official apps for Android and iOS likely see very little use, so they’re being dropped so that Microsoft can focus on other things.

Cortana will disappear on mobile

“On January 31st, 2020, we’re ending support for the Cortana app on Android and iOS in your market,” reads Microsoft’s support note on its U.K. site.

“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 says the Cortana content you’ve created — such as reminders and lists — will no longer function inside Cortana on mobile. But will be accessible in Cortana for Windows.

Any Cortana reminders, lists, and tasks are also synced to the Microsoft To Do app. You can get that on Android and iOS for free.

Cortana on its way to Microsoft 365

We certainly haven’t seen the last of Cortana yet, however. In fact, Microsoft plans to integrate the assistant into its Microsoft 365 productivity suite and into Outlook for Android and iOS.

“Cortana is an integral part of our broader vision to bring the power of conversational computing and productivity to all our platforms and devices,” Microsoft said in a statement to The Verge.

The countries in which Cortana will disappear first are Australia, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Germany, Spain, and the U.K.

Cortana will continue to work on Android and iOS in the U.S. for now. But it’s likely Microsoft will also be ditching it there — and in remaining markets — later on.

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