US-based tech giant Microsoft is planning to kill its Cortana for Android and iOS from January 2020, media reports said.
As per an article released on The Verge, the company has made the announcement via latest support article for Cortana users based the UK, Canada and Australia. The Verge also confirmed that apart from the mentioned three markets (UK, Australia and Canada) the app will also be removed from Germany, Mexico, China, Spain, and India on January 31st.
“Cortana is an integral part of our broader vision to bring the power of conversational computing and productivity to all our platforms and devices,” says a Microsoft spokesperson quoted as saying by The Verge.
“To make Cortana as helpful as possible, we’re integrating Cortana deeper into your Microsoft 365 productivity apps, and part of this evolution involves ending support for the Cortana mobile app on Android and iOS,” the statement added.
At least for some time beyond January 31st US Cortana users for iOS and Android app will be able to enjoy it. Though, it was not clear for how long its service will remain active for the US market.
The Cortana app is also used to update firmware devices like Surface Headphones, and configure settings. However, the company has not mentioned how the owners of Surface Headphones will continue to get access to these features.
Cortana, launched in December 2015, was originally designed to connect Windows 10 PCs and mobile phones. The tech-giant is now focused on integrating Cortana into more business-focused parts of Microsoft 365. Cortana is also being integrated directly into Outlook for iOS and Android so it can read emails aloud on the go.
(With input from agencies)