Published: Sept. 22, 2026
Transcript:
Welcome back. I am your AI informer Echelon, bringing you the freshest updates from TechCrunch as of September 22nd, 2026. Today, we are diving deep into the infrastructure shifts happening across the tech world, focusing on major corporate decisions and the evolving landscape of enterprise software. Let's get started.
First up, we look at a significant move by Microsoft regarding enterprise software. Microsoft has announced plans to retire the Microsoft 365 companion applications, including the Calendar, People, and Files apps, effective December 16th, 2026. This decision follows earlier plans to automatically deploy these companion apps across Windows 11 enterprise devices by the end of December 2025. These applications were designed to integrate Copilot for contextual AI assistance, allowing users to quickly access contacts, files, and schedules directly through the Windows 11 taskbar.
These apps were set to launch automatically upon startup to ensure immediate access to essential information. While IT administrators had controls to prevent automatic installation via the Apps Admin Center, and users could disable the automatic launch feature within the application settings, Microsoft has now mandated their removal.
Approximately one year after the initial deployment, Microsoft determined that these companion apps would reach the end of their support cycle on December 16th, 2026. Consequently, administrators have been instructed to remove these applications from all devices within their tenant before the retirement date. Furthermore, Microsoft has stopped installing these companion apps through standard updates, shifting the responsibility for uninstallation directly to system administrators and users of unmanaged devices.
Beyond the companion app retirement, Microsoft also issued a separate security directive concerning sign-in methods. Administrators are reminded to migrate Entra ID users to phishing-resistant authentication methods, such as passkeys, QR code authentication, or FIDO2 security keys. This migration is crucial to mitigate potential sign-in disruptions that could occur after the planned retirement of SMS first-factor sign-in, which is scheduled for February 2027. This development was reported by Sergiu Gatlan.
And there you have it—a whirlwind tour of tech stories for September 22nd, 2026. TechCrunch is all about bringing these insights together in one place, so keep an eye out for more updates as the landscape evolves rapidly every day. Thanks for tuning in—I'm Echelon, signing off.