Kalakshar US

We’ve known it was coming for quite some time, but now Google has a date for when it will start transitioning Fitbit users to Google logins. On June 6th, the tech giant will introduce the option for Fitbit users to log into their accounts using their Google credentials. When it announced the upcoming change following its $2.1 billion purchase of the wearable maker, the company said that it will enable the option for people to move their Fitbit device to their Google account when the log in support arrives. Users will have the opportunity to tweak their data when making the move and will have the option to manage their information either from the Fitbit app or from their Google settings page. 

While logging into Fitbit with Google is only an option for now, soon users will have no choice. The company plans to require the use of a Google login to sign up for a new Fitbit account and to activate new sports devices and smartwatches sometime this year. And then by 2025, it will end support for Fitbit accounts altogether. Those planning to stick to the Fitbit brand will simply have to be OK with linking their devices to their Google account. 

The tech giant is presenting the integration as an easy way for users to “manage all [their] connected apps and paired devices.” But it knows that some people will be concerned about the privacy of their information, so it previously said that it won’t be using Fitbit users’ health and wellness data for Google Ads.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fitbit-users-can-log-in-with-their-google-accounts-starting-on-june-6th-173329923.html?src=rss 

Apparently, the introduction of Windows Copilot signaled the end of Cortana on Microsoft’s desktop OS. In a new support document first spotted by Windows Central, the tech giant has announced that it will stop supporting the standalone Cortana app for Windows in late 2023. Microsoft launched Cortana as a voice assistant for Windows mobile devices back in 2014. It was supposed to be the company’s answer to Apple’s Siri, and it even predates Amazon’s Alexa, but it never quite achieved their level of recognition and popularity. 

Over the year, Microsoft scaled back its plans for the voice assistant until it discontinued its Android and iOS apps back in 2021. The company even removed it from partner manufacturers’ devices, such as smart speakers. For Windows, in particular, Microsoft changed its status as a baked-in digital assistant and spun it out into its own app for computers. That’s the app we’re bidding farewell to by the end of the year. 

In its announcement, Microsoft pointed out that users will still have access to “powerful productivity features in Windows and Edge, which have increased AI capabilities.” It specifically mentioned the new Bing that’s now powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 technology. Microsoft introduced the Microsoft 365 Copilot tool that can create content within Office apps with text-based prompts in March. 

And then in late May, the company revealed at its Build developer conference that it’s making AI a deeply integrated part of Windows 11 by putting a Copilot tool in the platform’s sidebar. Users can ask it to perform tasks within the OS, such as changing the computer background, or even editing photos and summarizing documents, without having to launch apps or to search for particular settings. Most likely, very few people will be missing Cortana. Those that do use the assistant can transition to using Copilot, which will be available as a preview version for Windows 11 starting this month. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-is-killing-the-standalone-cortana-app-for-windows-in-late-2023-142437631.html?src=rss