If you try to launch Cortana on Windows 11, you’ll now receive a notification about the app being deprecated and a link to a support article about this change. Microsoft is currently planning to end Cortana support in Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams Display, and Microsoft Teams Rooms “in the fall of 2023.” Surprisingly, Cortana inside Outlook mobile “will continue to be available,” according to Microsoft.
Cortana originally started life as a digital assistant in Windows Phone, before Microsoft added the assistant to Windows 10 in 2015. It is deeply integrated into the Windows 10 taskbar, supporting voice commands. voice, prompts, and the ability to open apps. Microsoft later removed Cortana from the Windows 11 taskbar and first launch experience, but kept the standalone app until this week.
Ultimately, Cortana has struggled to compete with rivals like Alexa or Google Assistant, despite major redesigns for iOS and Android. Cortana’s fate is largely linked to Microsoft’s failures with Windows Phone, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella admitted in 2019 that Cortana was falling behind rivals.
Microsoft is currently working on Windows Copilot, a new sidebar for Windows 11 that is powered by Bing Chat and can control Windows settings, answer questions, etc. Windows Copilot is expected to launch in the fall This as part of the Windows 11 update will also include native RAR and 7-Zip support.
