Anthropic has expanded access to its Claude Cowork AI agent to mobile and web platforms, ending the previous restriction to the desktop application only.
Beta rollout begins with Max subscribers
Beta access will launch gradually over the coming weeks, prioritising Max subscribers. This shift allows users to initiate a task on their computer, monitor progress via smartphone, and retrieve the final output in a browser from any location. The agent continues to operate in the background regardless of whether the laptop is closed or the phone is powered off.
Human oversight travels with the agent. When Claude reaches a decision requiring human judgment, the system prompts the user via their phone. Anthropic states that no data is transmitted without the user reviewing and approving it first.
More than 90 percent of Cowork usage involves non-software tasks. This aligns with the tool’s positioning as an agent for general knowledge work rather than coding. Business operations and content creation are the two largest categories, accounting for roughly half of all usage. Typical examples include reconciling quarterly spend, drafting variance memos, or assembling client presentations from call transcripts.
Local file access remains a desktop-only feature
The desktop application stays essential for functions relying on the local machine. These capabilities include reading and writing files in connected folders, using local connectors and plugins, controlling the browser through Claude in Chrome, and Computer Use, where the agent clicks, types, and navigates directly on screen. Users unable to install the desktop app previously can now access Cowork through a web browser, though they lack these local features.
On both web and desktop, Chat and Cowork will share a single home screen from now on. Projects and artifacts will be accessible across platforms. To mark this expansion, Anthropic is extending its doubled Cowork usage limits through August 5.
Aside from local file access, which the web version does not support, the distinction between Chat and Cowork is blurring. Anthropic appears to be moving toward merging the two into one product, a strategy OpenAI is also pursuing with Codex and ChatGPT. French AI firm Mistral recently replaced its Le Chat chatbot with Vibes, a more capable agentic coding environment. While ChatGPT and Claude carry larger brand names, making such a move more difficult, the convergence is evident.
