Microsoft Removing Cortana From Android App Launcher

Tech giants Microsoft, Apple, Google, Samsung and Amazon each offer unique digital assistants that come with their devices. Apple's Siri makes using iPhones and iPads more convenient, while Amazon's Alexa helps the average homeowner with day-to-day things such as telling the time, informing people about the weather, and playing some good music to fill the home. These assistants are indeed useful.

Previous reports revealed that Amazon's Alexa has a wide userbase thanks to the company's slew of affordable Smart Home Speakers, all of which feature the digital assistant. Statistics website Statista, on the other hand, reveals there are millions of iPhone users in the country. This indicates that Siri has a sizeable userbase as well, provided that a majority of them actually use the assistant's services.

All that said, it's become clear that Microsoft's Cortana is having a hard time getting more people to use its services in mobile applications, and the Redmond giant knows that. Android Police reported that the company that makes Windows is scaling back “its ambitions” for the digital assistant and is already in the process of removing it from the Microsoft Launcher app for Android.

In a blog, Microsoft explained that it is taking Cortana down from the Android app Launcher and will instead focus on enhancing its productivity features for Microsoft 365. The digital assistant will be gaining new abilities, and will feature a new chat-based UI that will allow users to communicate with it using the keyboard or their voice, just like how consumers normally interact with digital assistants.

“We’ll also be turning off the Cortana services in the Microsoft Launcher on Android by the end of April.”

The tech giant is tailoring Cortana to become a more effective productivity assistant instead of an all-around help like Alexa or Siri.

For one, Microsoft said Cortana will “assist you in better managing your schedule and tasks by staying on top of your calendar and focusing on what matters with meeting insights.” The assistant will still help users search for answers via Bing, set alarms, launch apps and so on. Some features of the Windows 10 version such as music playback and third-party skills, however, are being removed.