Microsoft Copilot app changes combine services and retire AI features

Microsoft Copilot app changes will combine the company’s consumer Copilot app with its Microsoft 365 Copilot app, while several existing AI features are set to be retired. For people who use Copilot, the immediate practical changes include an August 18, 2026 deadline for four consumer features, a move of standalone-app files to OneDrive, and possible temporary disruptions during the transition.

Microsoft says the consolidation is intended to create a simpler, more cohesive experience, according to TechCrunch’s report on the company’s support documentation. The change brings together functionality from the consumer-facing Copilot app and the more business-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot app.

What is changing in the Microsoft Copilot apps?

The reported plan affects both how users access Copilot and which features remain available. A product consolidation means Microsoft is bringing functions that had been divided between separate apps into one combined experience. The supplied reporting does not specify a launch date, a final name for the combined app, pricing changes, or a full timetable for the transition.

Microsoft warned that some other capabilities could temporarily disappear while the change is underway. Users of the standalone Copilot app will also have files created there migrated to OneDrive, according to TechCrunch.

Which Copilot features are being retired?

Microsoft says consumer users will lose access to the following features by August 18, 2026:

• Group Chats
• AI-generated podcasts in Copilot
• Copilot Labs experimental features
• Deep Research

The company is also retiring Mico, its animated Copilot character. TechCrunch reported that Mico’s retirement is part of the broader product cleanup, though the supplied reporting does not give a separate retirement date for the character.

Will Microsoft 365 Copilot users still have Researcher?

For paying professional users, Microsoft 365 Copilot’s Researcher is expected to serve as an alternative to Deep Research, TechCrunch reported. That replacement was described for paid professional users, rather than as a stated replacement for consumer Copilot users.

The changes follow a period in which Microsoft offered Copilot through distinct consumer and workplace-oriented apps. TechCrunch reported that the consolidation was first reported by GeekWire and was described in Microsoft support materials. Microsoft’s stated aim is a more unified Copilot experience, but the company has not established in the supplied materials exactly which features, beyond those listed, may change during the transition.

This story draws on original reporting from TechCrunch.