On May 1st, you won't have Cortana to kick around on the Microsoft App Launcher anymore

Microsoft's Android app launcher has its fans. But what it soon won't have is Cortana according to a blog post from Microsoft. The software giant has already started scaling back the availability of its digital assistant which is no longer offered in some countries. In head-to-head testing with rivals, Cortana often finished behind Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri in terms of comprehension and accuracy.

Microsoft says that Cortana will be leaving the Microsoft Launcher by the end of next month. Cortana fans in the states using the launcher will still be able to use the digital assistant by installing the Cortana app from the Google Play Store. The blog post also notes that changes to Cortana will allow the digital assistant to "bring enhanced, seamless personal productivity assistance." In the U.S., for example, Cortana will focus on staying on top of a user's calendar, create a reminder or add something new to a list in the Microsoft To Do app.

Even with the changes taking place to Cortana, Microsoft says that she will still tell a joke, provide answers to an inquiry from the Bing search engine, set alarms and timers, open apps, and make a change to the settings of a device. The only thing is that you'll need to have the Cortana app installed if you want to do all of this on an Android or iOS phone. But not all countries have Cortana available in the App Store or Google Play Store. Starting last month, the Cortana app was no longer available in the U.K., Australia, Germany, Mexico, China, Spain, Canada, and India

In the U.S., you can install Cortana (at least for now) for your Android phone from the Google Play Store, or for your iOS device from the Apple App Store.