Microsoft’s Cortana no longer integrates with Amazon’s Alexa
You can no longer summon Cortana and Alexa from each other.
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What you need to know
Microsoft and Amazon’s digital assistants no longer work together. The integration between Cortana and Alexa ended in September 2021, though as pointed out byPCMag, no one seemed to notice. If you ask Alexa to access Cortana, Amazon’s digital assistant will say, “sorry, the Cortana skill is no longer available.”
“As of Sept. 18, we decided to end the Cortana on Alexa experience as it previously existed and shift our Cortana resources to focus on productivity within Microsoft 365,” said a Microsoft spokesperson to PCMag.
The integration between Cortana and Alexa required several steps to work. Essentially, you would call upon one assistant to summon the other. This proved redundant in many cases as the two assistants could perform similar tasks. Since the announcement of the integration, the focus of Cortana has changed.
Microsoft repositioned Cortana as a productivity-focused digital assistant that works within Microsoft 365 apps, such as Teams and Outlook. Cortana gradually lost consumer functionality during the shift, includingskills losing support in 2020. Instead, Cortana can now perform tasks such as reading your emails.
The iOS and Android apps for Cortana were retired last year. Cortana support for theHarman Kardon Invoke speakerended in June 2021. Cortana is available onWindows 11but isn’t installed by default. It’s not surprising that the integration of Alexa and Cortana ended, though it’s odd that no one seemed to notice for a couple of months.
The integration between Alexa and Cortana may have ended, but you can still get Alexa on your PC.
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Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
