Microsoft Kills the Cortana Mobile App Everywhere, Except the US

Before concluding month, Microsoft announced that information technology'southward killing off back up for the Cortana voice assistant on Android and iOS. Both its standalone app, too as the Cortana integration within the Microsoft Launcher, will go away on Jan 31.

Back and then, it was reported to vanish from the Play Store and App Store in India, the Uk, Australia, Deutschland, Mexico, China, Spain, and Canada – except the US. We've today received confirmation of the same and learned the reason why Cortana volition continue to be supported but in the United States.

In a recent interview with Venturebeat, Microsoft's Cortana team lead Andrew Shuman stated that the Cortana app on Android and iOS is needed to configure and update the Surface Headphones firmware. This is i of the reasons that the app isn't going abroad from the The states. The publication, however, makes a valid indicate by calculation that the Surface Headphones are also available in several other regions across the globe.

"We even so have people who use their Cortana apps to manage their headphone operation. And so, if yous have the Surface Headphones, you can use the Cortana app with those (not in every location though) and nosotros're still supporting that," said Shuman. Only U.s.a. users will have access to its mobile app while anybody else will ultimately have to rely on Cortana for Windows.

microsoft surface headphones - cortana support

Also, Shuman added the locations where Cortana support is being ended saw very limited traction. The second reason for keeping the lights on in the Us will have to be experimentation. Microsoft may have brought Alexa into the fold to offers its users a lot more versatility merely it hasn't given up on Cortana just still. Vocalization help is surely the future and the company is even so holding out hope – looking to build a standalone banana that may 1 day come into play somewhere.

In the same interview, Shuman revealed that the delayed Surface Earbuds (Microsoft'due south effort at truly wireless earphones) will see the light of day in Spring next year. It will launch with an accompanying Surface Sound app for Android, iOS, and Windows PCs to allow users to configure Cortana and manage the settings. So, stay tuned for updates.