Cortana on Windows 10 is undergoing some changes, Microsoft announced today, as the company focuses on what it wants its PDA to be. The new Cortana will focus on productivity features, such as managing your schedule, adding to-do items, or sending emails.
As part of this change, Microsoft is removing some of the old features for consumers, such as the ability to control music, manage a smart home, or support third-party Cortana skills. In other words, Microsoft will stop trying to emulate Cortana Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and focus more on the features that match the rest of Microsoft’s software suite.
Microsoft doesn’t remove everything from Cortana – you’ll still be able to communicate with the assistant via voice or text, and simpler smart assistant features like alarms and timers, settings, or conversational responses will also work. As part of Microsoft’s Cortana overhaul, it will also remove Cortana from the Microsoft launcher on Android in late April.
The Cortana update will be released later this spring, but the new productivity features will only be launched in the United States at first. International users will still be able to get responses from Bing and speak to Cortana, with plans to add more functionality in the future.
