Microsoft appears to dump Cortana in Skype for Amazon's Alexa
The Cortana bot is being discontinued in Skype next month.
- She received the Renau Writing Scholarship in 2016 from the University of Louisville's communication department.
Skype may soon have a new assistant.
As of April 30, the Cortana bot will no longer be a part of Skype .
Skype users have reported seeing notifications saying the Cortana bot, the chatbot version of Microsoft's voice assistant, will no longer be available on the video app. Instead, Microsoft is advertising a new Amazon Alexa voice assistant integration, according to OnMSFT.
"We are constantly evaluating and testing our products to ensure they offer the best and most productive experiences," a Microsoft spokesperson said in an email. "We are discontinuing the Cortana bot within Skype, but Cortana suggestions are still available."
A Microsoft spokesperson said Cortana's exit and the Alexa promotion were unrelated. After the Cortana chat bot retires, Cortana suggestions will still be available in Skype. This means you'll be able to access smart replies, emoticons, and other tools.
Cortana was first added to Skype in 2014, letting people place calls with their voice. It was later brought to the Android and iOS versions of the app and then Skype for desktop. The Cortana bot let you do things like find information or set tasks while in Skype.
Twitter user Florian Beaubois also spotted that Microsoft is offering 200 free minutes of communication to users who link their Skype and Amazon accounts.
Originally published March at 9.31 a.m. PT.
Update, at 12.07 p.m. PT: Adds response from Microsoft.
