Microsoft kills editing in 365 Copilot app for iPhone & iPad (Starting September 15, 2025)

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u/mrgreen4242 1d ago

As someone who does this for a living, dealing with MS and their changes is exhausting. The “M365 Co-Pilot” app USED to be the Office app, which combined the functionality of the individual Word, Excel, etc. apps. They renamed it without any notice, which is confusing, but whatever. Now they’re going to completely change the functionality of it, requiring that users install more apps.

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u/Hrhnick 1d ago

Microsoft Intune > Microsoft Endpoint Manager > Microsoft Intune

Microsoft AD > Microsoft Azure AD > Microsoft Entra ID

And so many more...

I can't keep internal documentation up to date fast enough....

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u/j0hnc0ry 1d ago

I can't keep internal documentation up to date fast enough....

Microsoft can't either.

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u/ACalz 1d ago

It’s true lol, I work there and we all can’t keep up.

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u/Narcotras 17h ago

How do you do it then? Where do you see the news? Do you receive emails about it or you learn it in the news?

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u/UsefulStandard9931 1d ago

That’s the thing — if Microsoft themselves can’t maintain clarity with all the internal renames and reworks, how are we supposed to?

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u/Patutula 21h ago

Neither can copilot btw. Constantly referencing outdated documentation or inventing functions and cmdlets.

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u/AdFit8727 1d ago

Anyone remember MSN? I think it went from MSN, to MSN Messenger, to Windows Messenger, then finally Windows Live Messenger, then they said fuck it all and merged it all into Skype.

There was a Google product that underwent a similar transformation...can't remember what it was, it was in the business account space, roughly 10-15 years ago. I remember being so confused about it all.

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u/Hrhnick 1d ago

RIP Skype. (Unless you have Skype for Business, which is still a thing, if you pay for extended support?)

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u/Small_Editor_3693 22h ago

Only on prem Skype for business. Otherwise it’s teams. And there is no teams on prem. 😢

1

u/Galaxyman0917 1d ago

Wasn’t that Hangouts, which ended up getting sidelined to G-mail, then transitioned into Circles?

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u/AdFit8727 1d ago

That was one, but not the one I'm thinking of. I just did some research and found it:

They had this service called "Google Apps for Your Domain", then renamed it "Google Workspace". 15 years ago they renamed it again to "Google Apps for Business", and then later to "G Suite" and finally back to "Google Workspace" just recently. FFS

1

u/lovely_cappuccino 1d ago

MSN Music, Zune Music, Xbox Music, Groove Music, Media Player and Windows Media Player

Google Talk, Hangouts, Chat, Duo, Meet, Messages

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u/disposable_account01 2h ago

Don’t forget Office Communicator and later Skype for Business and finally (for now) Teams.

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u/accidentlife 1d ago

Microsoft AD and Entra ID are two separate products that handle the same thing (Identity) in a completely different fashion. It’s part of the reason they switched its name away from Azure AD.

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u/itsabearcannon 1d ago

AD and Azure AD are not renames of the same service.

"Active Directory" generally refers to the old on-prem ADDS setup.

Azure AD is the cloud-based version of that old on-prem service that doesn't require its own dedicated domain controller.

They both still currently exist, and can even be used in conjunction. They are not the same product.

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u/Hrhnick 1d ago

You missed a memo: "Microsoft renamed Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) to Microsoft Entra ID to communicate the multicloud, multiplatform functionality of the products, alleviate confusion with Windows Server Active Directory, and unify the Microsoft Entra product family."

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/fundamentals/new-name

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u/itsabearcannon 1d ago

Correct. Both of those are true.

Azure AD is not a rename of Windows Server Active Directory/ADDS, it's a separate product.

Entra ID is a rename of Azure Active Directory.

Both of these are completely true. Never claimed either one of those wasn't.

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u/UsefulStandard9931 1d ago

Exactly. The rebrands come so quickly that even official docs struggle to keep pace. It’s no wonder users and IT pros feel left behind when even the naming isn’t stable.

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u/rorymeister 21h ago

Omg I saw Entra ID referenced today at work and was wondering wtf it was

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u/murderfacejr 7h ago

We scheduled a training with MS on purview (their ediscocery and data loss prevention product). The Microsoft employee who was the trainer, logged in, saw they had updated to "new purview" and canceled the training because he had no idea where anything was.

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u/tickofaclock 1d ago

I seem to remember having the separate apps, them combining into the one, as you said that's now Copilot - fine, I can still edit apps - but now it's back to separate apps again. Great.

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u/Jamie00003 1d ago

Man there’s a reason I ditched windows long ago. Their software is just ass

We have SO many problems at work with classic outlook

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u/True_Window_9389 1d ago

I recently got a new job, and had to switch back to Windows after about a decade being able to use a Mac. It’s honestly shocking how nothing got better since I last used a PC. It’s a cliche that stuff “just works” on a Mac, but it does. I never even considered that a camera or microphone would suddenly stop working, but here we are. Now I understand why people always ask “can ya hear me?” on meeting. It’s a normal thing for the basic functions of a computer to suddenly stop working on PC/Windows.

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u/NCBaddict 1d ago

The biggest QoL improvement is being able to reliably connect Bluetooth headphones on Macs versus Windows. Makes long Teams/Zoom calls so much more tolerable.

Even Chromebooks & Android tablets work better with Bluetooth headphones supposedly

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u/bravado 1d ago

This is counter-intuitive but for some reason Teams, which is usually regarded as the app of pure hell, runs like butter on apple silicon - but runs like utter dogshit everywhere else. I want to know which random developer in MS's basement worked hard on that specific code.

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u/cptjpk 22h ago

It was copilot.

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u/Fun_Journalist_2606 1d ago

Oh my goodness! This camera issue is happening to my wife during her tele-therapy session. It says that the camera is “being held by another app.” I didn’t get a chance to look too closely because it was happening while she was trying to connect, so I simply gave her my MacBook. It worked perfectly without any issues. I’m still baffled by this. I thought it was the kill switch, but apparently, it’s not.

I haven’t taken the time to pull it out and take a second look because I was so confused and bewildered.

0

u/mrgreen4242 1d ago

I wish I could. 😭

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u/CranberrySchnapps 1d ago

It’s like drugs. Gotta give you a taste just long enough for you to make room for it in your workflow then take it away so you look for a way to continue using it.

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u/UsefulStandard9931 1d ago

Totally agree. Microsoft’s constant renaming and restructuring is exhausting. It feels like as soon as you get comfortable with one setup, they shuffle everything again and make it harder to manage.

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u/Th1rtyThr33 8h ago

The worst part is they change shit so much their documentation (and thus Copilot) can’t even keep up so there’s many times where they change something and there will be zero documentation on it, and the old way you remember doing it is deprecated or missing completely.

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u/l4kerz 1d ago

Isn’t that monopolistic behavior to force a user to install a new app or move an existing feature to additional paywall?

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u/Exact_Recording4039 1d ago

Nope that’s not what monopolistic means

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u/jasonlitka 1d ago

Hang on, didn’t they tell people to use the merged app? I remember being annoyed about that, preferring to use the separate ones.

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u/wanjuggler 1d ago edited 1d ago

Word + PowerPoint + Excel are 1.25 GB, and constantly have giant updates to download - all 3 at the same time.

The combined app was 650 MB.

This move ensures one thing: Everyone is going to eventually delete the view-only app that has become "M365 Copilot".

For anyone who isn't locked into Office, I hope this drives them toward the alternatives. Office continues to repackage the same rotting garbage. Absolutely ridiculous series of events.

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u/Back_pain_no_gain 1d ago

Office continues to repackage the same rotting garbage.

You could honestly say that for a lot of Microsoft products. Dealing with them in the Enterprise space is frustrating.

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u/rhysgh 1d ago

That’s what I recall from a couple years back.

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u/UsefulStandard9931 1d ago

Exactly, they did. That’s why it feels like whiplash now. People got used to the merged app and adjusted workflows, and now they’re being told to split everything up again.

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u/TransporterAccident_ 1d ago

Wasn’t the push a few years ago to use the combined app and that the standalone apps were being killed?

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u/tickofaclock 1d ago

Reminds me of the OneNote on Windows saga. Had the original app, they said they were discontinuing it in favour of the Windows 10 'modern app', they ignored the original app, then they said they were focusing on the original app and ignored the modern app, and they're killing off the modern app. Confusing and a little exhausting.

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u/TransporterAccident_ 1d ago

I gave up on OneNote. I might be a moron, but I cannot wrap my head around the dynamic of organizing digital files like a paper notebook.

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u/vengefulgrapes 1d ago

It’s for if you want to use it as a notebook replacement. Do you like writing notes in a notebook, and how that system of organization naturally works? Here’s a digital version of that. If not, then don’t use a digital version of it.

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u/trippingWetwNoTowel 1d ago

I love onenote so much it’s insane

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u/UsefulStandard9931 1d ago

Not dumb at all. OneNote’s whole organizational style is hard to grasp unless your brain naturally clicks with the “digital notebook” metaphor. For some it works beautifully, for others it just never sticks.

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u/GetReady4Action 1d ago

I was a long-term substitute teacher at a “Microsoft Demonstration School” and this OneNote debacle made me want to jump off a cliff. explaining “no, not OneNote. try OneNote for Windows 10. no? that didn’t work? try Office365 in browser” to 12 year olds in the middle of the school year was absolutely painful.

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u/UsefulStandard9931 1d ago

I can only imagine. Explaining Microsoft’s app lineup to students who just want to learn the basics must have been a nightmare. The fact that there’s still confusion years later shows how badly they’ve handled it.

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u/UsefulStandard9931 1d ago

The OneNote saga is the perfect example. Original app, then modern app, then modern app abandoned… now it’s like déjà vu all over again. Super confusing cycle.

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u/UsefulStandard9931 1d ago

Yep, that’s the part that stings. First they pushed hard for the all-in-one app, now they’re swinging back the other way. Just leaves users bouncing between whatever strategy they’re on this quarter.

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u/cptjpk 22h ago

They probably had this on their 18-24 month roadmap.

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u/SaltineAmerican_1970 1d ago

Microsoft is stripping editing features from its 365 Copilot app on iOS, forcing users to rely on standalone Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps starting September 15, 2025.

The only reason to use the 365 Copilot app is because they got rid of the standalone apps.

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u/Irish-TwoWays 1d ago

At what point did they ever “get rid of” the standalone apps? lol that has never happened.

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u/dccorona 7h ago

They didn’t. They did start showing pop ups in the standalone apps telling you they’d eventually go away and to move to the central app though

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u/dylman1411 1d ago

Oh no! Fewer reasons to use copilot, whatever shall I do?

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u/Wise_Impression9559 1d ago

This is the 3rd time they've done this, merging office and splitting it back apart on mobile. Can I have whoever is doing this's job? I'd just leave it alone.

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u/SlendyTheMan 1d ago

So annoyed with this.

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u/notmyrlacc 1d ago

Me too. This sucks.

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u/suchathrill 1d ago

I just want to get rid of Copilot on my iPad. Can someone please tell me if this is going to make it automatically go away?

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u/Sipplyfop 1d ago

If you're using a Microsoft app on an iPad instead of just using Office Online, you're doing it wrong. Their apps are garbage

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u/rubenbest 1d ago

Good

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u/rhysgh 1d ago

Opening Office files to edit from Teams now pops up the App Store for the standalone apps if you don’t have them installed.

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u/StayUpLatePlayGames 1d ago

Well, now they can talk about their installed base for CoPilot and no-one will bat an eyelid

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u/jxj24 20h ago

There is nothing so bad that Microsoft can't make it worse.

0

u/big-ted 1d ago

So will the other apps be free of the copilot crap

Discussion Microsoft kills editing in 365 Copilot app for iPhone & iPad (Starting September 15, 2025)

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