Microsoft Is Combining Its Two Copilot Apps
Microsoft is merging its consumer and Microsoft 365 Copilot apps into a single platform while dropping Podcasts, Deep Research, and Group Chat on August 18.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Microsoft is consolidating its consumer and work Copilot experiences into a single universal app.
- Microsoft 365 users can update their current app, while general users will migrate to a new desktop app.
- Three legacy features—Podcasts, Deep Research, and Group Chat—will be discontinued on August 18.
Microsoft's artificial intelligence ecosystem has historically been somewhat fragmented. Unlike competitors such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, the company's AI services were split into two separate products: consumer-facing "Copilot" competing directly with other AI applications, and "Microsoft 365 Copilot" designed for professional workplace integration. This division often left users confused about which features and plans belonged to which version.
Addressing this complexity, Microsoft announced plans to merge the Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot platforms into a single unified application. Whether users are leveraging AI for daily tasks or integrating it with Word and Excel for professional and educational purposes, all activities will now route through this single app. As highlighted by The Verge, this consolidation eliminates the friction of managing two distinct Copilot applications simultaneously on screen.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The specific changes users will experience depend on their current setup. Microsoft 365 Copilot users will simply need to update their existing application, which will introduce minor navigational adjustments, a brand-new app icon, and direct access to Copilot chat.
Meanwhile, general Copilot users utilizing personal accounts will transition to a new desktop application, whereas mobile users will migrate through a standard app update. Microsoft has assured that all existing chats and content will transfer automatically, and users of both versions will see their accounts and data merge into the new unified platform while remaining tied to their respective original accounts.
Microsoft's decision to unify its AI applications reflects a broader industry trend toward streamlining software ecosystems to reduce user friction. Managing multiple separate tools often creates unnecessary complexity, and consolidating features into a single flagship app allows companies to deliver a more cohesive user experience while optimizing internal resource allocation.
A notable aspect of this transition is the retirement of several legacy features. Microsoft has confirmed it will be ditching three existing Copilot capabilities: Podcasts, Deep Research, and Group Chat messages, with all three officially discontinued on August 18.
Users utilizing the Group Chat feature are advised to export their messages and images prior to the deadline, as chat histories will no longer be accessible post-August 18. Similarly, users must export any generated podcasts, as future generation and access to previous files will cease after the cutoff date. Although reports generated via Deep Research will remain accessible after August 18, the tool itself will be restricted exclusively to Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers.
Alternatives for these retiring tools remain widely available across the industry, such as Google's Gemini Notebook for podcast generation and alternative deep research options offered by competing AI platforms. This move follows similar feature rollbacks across the tech sector, including OpenAI's discontinuation of the Sora video generator and the ChatGPT Atlas browser earlier this year.
Source: Lifehacker
Found something wrong in this article? Report an issue with this article
Comments
Leave a Comment