Microsoft retires Mico and merges Copilot apps into one

Microsoft is consolidating its consumer and business Copilot apps into a single unified app, and retiring several features, including the animated Mico character. The changes reflect a strategic shift under new Copilot chief Jacob Andreou, who has said the app must earn "the right to exist" in customers' lives Source: TechCrunch.

What's happening

Starting mid-August, the consumer Copilot app and Microsoft 365 Copilot app will merge into one "Microsoft Copilot" app, with a new icon Source: The Verge. Mobile and web rollouts begin in mid-August, with Windows and Mac versions following in mid-September Source: The Verge. Users can sign in with personal, work, or school accounts, and chats and content will be migrated, though data remains separate between account types Source: ZDNET.

Retired features

Several features will be discontinued by August 18, including Group Chat, Podcasts, Copilot Labs, and consumer Deep Research Source: TechCrunch. Mico, the emotive yellow blob introduced in October 2025, will be removed from Copilot's voice mode and moved to the Learn Live platform as a tutor Source: Engadget. Microsoft says Mico's settings won't carry over Source: The Next Web.

The bigger picture

Microsoft's move is part of a broader consolidation in the AI app space, following similar mergers by OpenAI and Google Source: TechCrunch. The company is also responding to competitive pressure: ChatGPT and Gemini each have roughly a billion monthly users, while Copilot's consumer app has about 38.5 million Source: The Next Web. Microsoft 365 Copilot has 30 million paid seats Source: The Next Web. The changes come months after Jacob Andreou took over Copilot, with Mustafa Suleyman focusing on model development Source: The Verge.