Microsoft removes Cortana from Xbox One in future update

Microsoft has released an update for Xbox Insiders with a new interface for the console. That offers faster access to recently played games, but speech assistant Cortana has also been removed. It remains possible to operate an Xbox via the cloud with assistants.

With the update, Microsoft is adjusting the Xbox One Home page. The Twists at the top of the screen have been removed and the first row of icons are now games that have been played recently. Space has also been made to show more games. The revamped interface will be released this week for a select group of Xbox Insiders in the Alpha and Alpha Skip Ahead groups.

Microsoft also announces in the announcement of the new interface that Cortana will be removed from the Xbox One. As a result, it is no longer possible to talk to Cortana through a headset connected to the console. However, it remains possible to operate the console via voice assistants by means of the Xbox Skill that is available for Cortana and Alexa. In this way, for example, the console can be switched on with speech via the apps for Android and iOS or Alexa devices.

Because Cortana is being removed from the Xbox, it is no longer possible to enter text with speech via the virtual keyboard on the console. However, that only applies temporarily to the test version, Microsoft says it is working on an alternative and will provide more information about it soon.

The removal of Cortana from the Xbox fits with other recent developments around the voice assistant. At the beginning of this year, Cortana was already disconnected from the search function in Windows 10 and was released as a standalone app. According to a rumor from late last year, Microsoft has moved Cortana to the business unit that works on Office, and no longer intends to compete with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.