Microsoft revealed that support for its Cortana mobile application on Android and iOS platforms has officially ended. The shutdown has been a long time coming for the company’s voice assistant service, where the initial plan of pulling its plug was originally announced back in November 2019 but was delayed for unspecified reasons.
According to the official support page on Microsoft’s website, created content such as reminders and lists on the Cortana app will no longer function, but are still accessible via the Windows 10 version. The company noted that content created via the service on desktop is also synced automatically to the To Do mobile app, which Microsoft is recommending users to download as an alternative.
Cortana’s demise on mobile is unsurprising. Microsoft’s aim of bringing the service to phones and even tablets is to have it available to users outside of the Windows platform. However, both Android and iOS devices are home turfs to their respective voice assistants – namely Google Assistant and Siri, respectively – which already offer similar services from the get go. Being an optional third-party voice assistant, it’s no wonder that Cortana is easily overshadowed by its competitors.
The absence of the service from Android and iOS will potentially cause inconveniences to some, especially those who rely on Microsoft’s ecosystem. But for the majority of users, Cortana’s departure will barely leave any form of impact.
(Source: Microsoft [Official website])
