Thought Leadership
Microsoft is merging its separate apps Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot as a foundation for a planned “super app”.
The new, unified app retains the name Microsoft Copilot but receives a new symbol, meaning that in the future, two separate Copilot icons will no longer appear next to each other in the taskbar and notification area. The global rollout for the mobile and web versions is scheduled to begin in mid-August, according to Microsoft, to be followed by Windows and Mac applications in mid-September. Individual Windows Insiders will receive the update already this week, with a broader distribution planned for the coming week.
What specific changes users will notice depends on which of the previous apps they have used. Those who have so far exclusively used the personal Copilot app will automatically be transitioned to the updated version, including existing chat histories and content. Users of Microsoft 365 Copilot, on the other hand, will primarily notice minor navigation changes, the new symbol, as well as, for the first time, free access to the Copilot chat function.
Those who have already used both apps in parallel will receive a merged app, whereby chats, content, and data between personal and business accounts within the app will remain strictly separated, according to Microsoft. The business web address will also gradually change from m365.cloud.microsoft to copilot.cloud.microsoft; corresponding automatic redirects are scheduled to begin at the end of August.
Several features will be discontinued on August 18
Microsoft emphasizes that security, compliance, and regulatory control mechanisms for enterprises remain unchanged by the transition and that central Copilot functions continue to be available for free, albeit with different usage limits. Several existing features will, however, be completely eliminated in the course of the transition: The features Podcasts, Deep Research, as well as all group chat content will be discontinued on August 18; affected users should manually back up corresponding content beforehand. Files created or shared via Copilot will automatically move to OneDrive in the future, but additional storage space for this requires a paid subscription. Additionally, the Shopping and Copilot Health features may be temporarily unavailable during the transition phase.
Part of an industry-wide consolidation
The merger follows a pattern already outlined by competitor OpenAI, which had previously merged its own offerings ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex into a unified ChatGPT experience. During the recent earnings call for the quarterly figures, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had already announced that Chat, Cowork, Autopilots, and Code would be merged into a single Copilot super app intended for both personal and business customers in the future. According to its own statements, Microsoft 365 Copilot recently counted more than 30 million paid users, up from 20 million in April, while market observer Sensor Tower estimated the monthly user number of the personal Copilot app at around 38.5 million in July.
(Editorial Team)
