Microsoft merges Copilot apps and retires AI features including Deep Research

Microsoft is merging its consumer Copilot and business-focused Microsoft 365 Copilot apps into a single, unified application. This consolidation, rolling out in phases starting August 13, 2026, aims to simplify user experience but comes with the retirement of several consumer features. By August 18, 2026, free-tier users will lose access to Deep Research, Group Chats, Podcasts, and the animated companion Mico. Users must manually rescue their data before the deadline, while Microsoft prepares for a broader 'Super App' launch slated for late September 2026.

Copilot app unification rollout

• ▪The rollout of the unified Copilot app began with Windows Insiders on August 13, 2026, with mobile and web updates starting in mid-August and desktop apps following in mid-September 2026.
• ▪The unified Copilot app allows users to sign in with personal, work, or school accounts and toggle between them using an account switcher, keeping data environments strictly separated.
• ▪Microsoft began rolling out a unified Copilot app on August 13, 2026, merging its consumer-facing Copilot app and the business-oriented Microsoft 365 Copilot app into a single codebase.

Consumer feature retirements

• ▪Microsoft will retire the Deep Research feature for free-tier consumers on August 18, 2026, making its replacement, Researcher, available only to Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers and commercial licensees.
• ▪Microsoft is discontinuing Mico, the animated, expressive voice-mode companion character introduced to accompany Copilot's voice mode, from the core consumer experience on August 18, 2026.
• ▪Microsoft is retiring the Group Chats and AI-generated Podcasts features from Copilot on August 18, 2026, alongside experimental Copilot Labs tools.

Content migration deadlines

• ▪Copilot users must manually download individual podcast files and copy Group Chat threads, messages, and images before August 18, 2026, to prevent permanent deletion.
• ▪Files generated by or shared with the standalone Copilot app will be automatically migrated to OneDrive for storage during the transition to the unified app.

Enterprise rebranding changes

• ▪IT administrators who configured Windows Recall to exclude the old Copilot app must manually reapply the exclusion setting to the new unified Copilot app, as the setting will not transfer automatically.
• ▪The Microsoft 365 Copilot app is being rebranded as Microsoft Copilot with a new icon, and its commercial web address will redirect from m365.cloud.microsoft to copilot.cloud.microsoft starting in late August 2026.

AI strategy consolidation

• ▪The restructuring follows an internal memo from Microsoft EVP Jacob Andreou stating that Copilot needed to 'earn the right to exist' by moving on from unpopular features.
• ▪The Copilot app unification is a prerequisite for a comprehensive 'Super App' that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced would ship by the end of September 2026.
• ▪The consolidation aligns with a broader industry trend where Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google are merging specialized agentic and research capabilities into their primary AI applications.