One of the few smart home devices to offer full-on Cortana integration is dropping it in favor of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Owners of Johnson Controls’ GLAS Smart Thermostat learned this week via email that an upcoming software update for the sleek device, which is powered by Microsoft’s Windows 10 IoT operating system, is slated to deactivate its Cortana support.
The move means people using the snazzy-looking thermostat will need to switch to Alexa or Google Assistant if they want to control it with voice commands.
In our review of the GLAS Smart Thermostat last fall, reviewer Jason D’Aprile called his experience in using Cortana to control the device “decidedly odd,” with Cortana failing to comprehend some of our most basic cooling requests.
“Johnson Controls was wise to make the GLAS compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant as well as Cortana, so you ultimately don’t need to worry if Cortana is up to par,” D’Aprile concluded.
Jason D’Aprile / IDG
Johnson Controls’ GLAS smart thermostat is losing support for Cortana, but gaining a few new features, as detailed in an email the company sent to its customers.
While the loss of Cortana might rankle GLAS owners who bought the thermostat specifically because of its Cortana integration, the news doesn’t come as much of a shock.
Indeed, Cortana’s future has appeared uncertain over the past several months, particularly after the departure of a key Cortana product lead and comments from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella hinting that Cortana might be “better off” as simply a “valuable skill” for users of Alexa or Google Assistant.
Meanwhile, a recent Windows 10 Insider Preview Build allowed users to talk to Alexa on their Windows 10 lock screens rather than Cortana.