Tech Desk 
Aug 09, 2025
The well-known document scanning app Microsoft Lens is being phased out and replaced by Microsoft's Copilot AI chat app.
Originally released as Office Lens in 2015, the app let users scan documents, receipts, business cards, and whiteboard notes into Word, PowerPoint, and PDF formats.
When it came to scanning documents and storing them in different formats, Microsoft Lens was renowned for its ease of use and efficiency.
It provided built-in filters to lighten the document, improve the final image, and create a crisper black-and-white copy. Users could store files in their camera roll, other online services, or Microsoft apps.
A broader range of users could utilise the app thanks to features like read-out-loud and Immersive Reader integration.
Microsoft is making a bigger move to promote its Copilot AI chat app, which includes the discontinuation of Microsoft Lens.
A new support document states that as of September 15, 2025, Lens will no longer be available on iOS and Android devices.
On November 15, 2025, the app will be taken down from Google Play and the Apple App Store. The scanning features of the app will remain available to current users until December 15, 2025.
Access to previous scans will be available in the app as long as it is installed on the user's device, but no new scans will be possible after that date.
Users are being directed to Microsoft's Microsoft 365 Copilot app, which combines access to saved files with scanning capabilities.
Nevertheless, Copilot currently lacks a few essential Microsoft Lens features. For example, Copilot does not allow scans to be saved directly to Word, PowerPoint, or OneNote.
It also lacks Lens' accessibility features, such as read-out-loud and Immersive Reader integration, and does not enable scanning business cards straight into OneNote.
However, with more than 322,000 downloads in the last 30 days on the App Store and Google Play, Microsoft Lens is still widely used despite its advanced age.
Appfigures, an app intelligence company, reports that the app has been downloaded 92.3 million times since January 2017.
The website Bleeping Computer was the first to notice the app's imminent shutdown. It notes that users are being redirected to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, which is devoid of all the features of Lens.
