Microsoft has recently made an announcement regarding the discontinuation of Cortana, the virtual assistant designed for Windows. As per Microsoft's official statement, Cortana will no longer be supported as a standalone application on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 by the end of this year (specific date to be confirmed).

However, Cortana will still retain its functionality as an integrated feature within the operating systems, albeit with other accompanying features. It is worth noting that the mobile app has been gradually phased out since 2020. Initially launched in 2014 for Windows Phone 8.1 and later expanded to Windows 10 in 2015, Cortana emerged as one of the virtual assistants alongside Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Google Assistant for Android. The complete cessation of Cortana's functionality is scheduled for later this year. The virtual assistant takes its name from the AI character in the Halo franchise, a character of great significance within the game's storyline. Both the assistant and the Halo character share the voice of actress Jen Taylor.

Despite the discontinuation of Cortana, Microsoft will continue to offer support and guidance through more advanced AI-powered experiences. These new offerings will gradually replace the previous platform within the Windows ecosystem, as per Microsoft's announcement. Notably, among these replacements, Windows Copilot stands out as a versatile virtual assistant that seamlessly integrates with the ChatGPT plugin. Additionally, there are expectations for the expansion of Bing Chat, currently available within the search engine and as a complementary feature in web browsers.

Microsoft Discontinues Cortana, the Virtual Assistant for Windows