Microsoft recently introduced reminder functionality to its Copilot AI assistant without much fanfare. However, while the AI insists this feature exists, personal testing suggests otherwise.
According to reports from Windows Latest, users can now instruct Copilot to create a reminder for a particular activity, with the alert expected to appear on an Android or iOS smartphone to inform the user.
Such reminder tools have long been available elsewhere; the novelty here lies in initiating them directly from a Windows PC, reminiscent of the capabilities once offered by Cortana during the Windows 10 era. That earlier assistant briefly included location-based prompts, such as notifying users to purchase items like milk or bread when nearing a supermarket.
Although Copilot lacks the advanced features of its predecessor, the AI maintains that it supports reminder creation. Users need only specify a desired time, and Copilot confirms it will handle the task.
Testing by Windows Latest confirmed the feature's functionality, but attempts by this writer yielded no success.
In one trial, no alert sounded on my mobile device at the scheduled moment, nor did any notice appear on my computer. A synchronization problem might have been the culprit.
When queried about the failure, Copilot provided a range of potential explanations for the malfunction.
A subsequent attempt produced the same unsuccessful result.
Basic reminder setting has been a standard expectation for smartphones and computers for over ten years. If Copilot advertises this ability, it ought to deliver reliably. Looking toward 2026, instances of the AI committing to unfulfilled tasks contribute to growing doubts about its adoption rates, with SimilarWeb data indicating usage hovers around 1 percent.
Back in 2020, Microsoft repurposed Cortana from an integrated Windows 10 component into a standalone application, and it once faltered even on a simple query like the sum of 2 and 2. Copilot, by contrast, handles such elementary calculations without issue.
Mark has contributed to PCWorld for the past ten years, drawing on three decades of technology journalism. He has produced more than 3,500 pieces for the outlet, focusing on areas like PC processors, accessories, and the Windows operating system, alongside other subjects. His work has appeared in outlets such as PC Magazine, Byte, eWEEK, Popular Science, and Electronic Buyers' News, the latter where he co-received a Jesse H. Neal Award for outstanding breaking news coverage. Lately, he donated a sizable assortment of Thunderbolt docking stations and USB-C adapters due to limited office storage.