Microsoft shuts down its Cortana app for Android and iOS

Microsoft has closed its Cortana app for Android and iOS. Lists and reminders for users of the application will be available to users through Windows. For affected users, Cortana's reminders, lists, and tasks are also automatically synced with the Microsoft To-Do app, available as a free download on iOS and Android. First released in November 2018, Microsoft informed users about the closure of the application in July 2020.

"As of March 31, 2021, the Cortana content you created, such as reminders and lists, will no longer function in the Cortana mobile app but can still be accessed through Cortana in Windows. Also, Cortana reminders, lists, and tasks are automatically synced to the Microsoft To-Do app, which you can download to your phone for free," the company said in a post.

Microsoft also stopped offering the standalone Cortana app in November 2019 in markets other than the US, such as India, UK, China, Spain, and Canada. In January 2019, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, "Cortana should be that skill for anyone who is a Microsoft 365 subscriber."

During the announcement of Cortana's shutdown, Microsoft had noted that it would shift towards a transformative assistant experience powered by artificial intelligence in its Microsoft 365 applications, which would involve reorienting its areas of innovation and development, MacRumours reported. Since then, Microsoft has integrated Cortana as part of Microsoft 365 software. It added Cortana to the Teams mobile app to manage calendars, email, and join meetings. It also introduced practical custom reports in Outlook for Exchange users.

Microsoft also ended support for the Cortana integration into the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker in January 2021. The Harman Kardon Invoke was the only smart speaker that Cortana had supported in English. You'll get a firmware update that will remove access to Cortana but allow the device to connect via Bluetooth to mobile devices for audio playback, Voicebot reported. Speaker owners who used Cortana can redeem a $ 50 Microsoft gift card through July 31, 2021. Reports speculate that it was a lack of demand for Cortana that caused Microsoft to shut it down.

It didn't become as famous as the Google or Siri assistant for Android and iOS and Amazon Alexa for device-independent alternatives.