Apps you never asked for will now die on a schedule
Auto-installed Microsoft 365 companion apps retired after one year
The market's verdict: +3.1% on MSFT in the week after.
What actually happened
In 2025, Microsoft began automatically installing Calendar, People and Files companion apps on Windows 11 machines, where they also auto launched at startup. In September 2026 it announced all three would stop functioning on December 16, 2026, advising users of unmanaged devices to uninstall them by hand. Installed without asking, launched without asking, and now the cleanup is a do it yourself project with a deadline. The full lifecycle of a Microsoft app, from push to pull, in eighteen months.
This one is officially acknowledged.
They did it more than once
Installed without asking in 2023, installed without asking in 2025. The removal is DIY.
Links
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Impact
- BleepingComputer (publication)
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Acknowledgement
- Microsoft Learn (official)
↳ caused by Companion apps retirement (December 2026)
Timeline
- Sep 21, 2026 Stood by it Microsoft stood by it.