Microsoft Is Combining Its Two 'Copilot' Apps (and Ditching These Three Features)

Microsoft Copilot is simply a small messy. Unlike ChatGPT, Gemini, aliases Claude, the company's AI work isn't 1 cosmopolitan product. Instead, there's "Copilot," the AI for consumers, straight competing pinch the aforementioned AI apps; and "Microsoft 365 Copilot," the AI for master usage successful Microsoft's activity suite. Unless you're wholly immersed successful Microsoft's AI culture, you mightiness beryllium understandably confused astir Copilot, and what features and plans beryllium to which type of the AI. Luckily, you don't request to beryllium confused immoderate longer.

This week, Microsoft announced its intentions to merge its Copilot and Microsoft Copilot 365 platforms into a azygous app. If you usage Copilot arsenic you would ChatGPT aliases Gemini, you'll usage this app. If you usage Copilot pinch Word and Excel for activity aliases school, you'll usage this app. Essentially, if you're utilizing Microsoft's AI for immoderate reason, this will beryllium the app of choice. It mightiness not look peculiarly impactful for anyone who uses only 1 type of Copilot, but if you person to bounce betwixt Copilot and Microsoft Copilot 365, you'll understand the contiguous benefits of avoiding 2 different Copilot apps connected surface astatine once, arsenic The Verge highlights.

What's caller pinch Microsoft's unified Copilot app?

As Copilot and Microsoft Copilot 365 are 2 different experiences, the changes you'll spot successful the caller Copilot app will dangle connected the app you presently use. Microsoft Copilot 365 users should only person to update their existing app, and Microsoft says users tin expect insignificant navigational changes erstwhile switching over. There's besides a caller app icon, arsenic good arsenic nonstop entree to Copilot chat from the caller app.

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Copilot users who usage Microsoft's AI pinch their individual relationship look to person the astir changes to look retired for. You should expect to move complete to the caller app connected desktop, but mobile users should beryllium capable to move via an app update. Either way, Microsoft says your chats and contented will move complete pinch you. If you usage some apps, each your chats and contented will merge into the caller app, though each will beryllium tied to the circumstantial relationship you created them with.

Which Copilot features are Microsoft abandoning?

Perhaps the biggest news present is what isn't carrying complete to the caller app. Microsoft says it's ditching 3 bequest Copilot features arsenic portion of this transition: Podcasts, Deep Research, and Group Chat messages. Microsoft will discontinue each 3 connected Aug. 18, truthful you don't person overmuch clip to proceed utilizing them.

If you usage Copilot's Group Chat feature, make judge to transcript immoderate messages aliases images from your chats earlier that deadline, arsenic chats will nary longer beryllium accessible aft Aug. 18. The aforesaid goes for Podcasts: You won't beryllium capable to make caller podcasts, nor will you beryllium capable to entree your generated podcasts aft the deadline, truthful export them up of time. Any reports you made utilizing Deep Research will beryllium accessible aft Aug. 18, but you won't beryllium capable to usage the characteristic unless you are a Microsoft 365 Premium subscriber.

You don't person to look acold to find replacements for these features. Google's "Gemini Notebook" (formerly NotebookLM) tin create AI-generated podcasts for you, and conscionable astir each different awesome AI level offers its ain Deep Research feature. That said, Microsoft isn't the only 1 retiring features: OpenAI shuttered its AI video generator, Sora, earlier this year, arsenic good arsenic ChatGPT Atlas, its short-lived AI browser. It seems Microsoft is peculiarly focused connected consolidating its AI offerings, seeing arsenic the institution has besides been removing "unnecessary" Copilot features from Windows.