Anthropic has moved its Claude Cowork agent from the desktop to the phone, ending the requirement to keep a laptop screen open for overnight tasks.
The company announced the update on Tuesday. Users can now run scheduled jobs and interact with the agent through the existing smartphone app or a web browser. The old rule that demanded an active desktop session is gone.
In a demonstration video, a user requested assistance with a business deal renewal due the next day. The prompt asked Cowork to gather data from email threads, Slack channels, meeting transcripts, and online chatter. The agent then produced a reference document and a prewritten email. This workflow previously required the desktop session to stay active. Now the agent continues working after the user clocks out, handling late-night messages.
I tested the original Claude Cowork in January. It successfully organised screenshot files into labelled folders and scheduled calendar events. The tool was not flawless and still carried risks of prompt injection or security breaches. However, it represented a clear step forward for everyday users managing their devices.
This is not the first time mobile users could access Anthropic’s agents. The Dispatch feature allowed smartphones to pair with desktops, letting users send task requests from anywhere. A major limitation remained: the computer had to stay awake and the app open. That constraint forced some users to leave laptops running. The new Cowork version removes the need for an active desktop session.
This release fits a broader trend in Silicon Valley toward always-running, semiautonomous agents controlled via text. OpenClaw, a homebrew agent with a lobster mascot, sparked the wave at the start of 2026. Early adopters ran it continuously and handed control of their online lives to it.
Competitors took note of the attention. OpenAI hired OpenClaw’s creator and launched Codex in the first half of the year. Google released Spark, its version of an always-on agent. Anthropic focused on making its tools more accessible. Claude Code previously helped developers automate terminal tasks. Cowork translates that power into a chatbot form for average users.
Anthropic will roll out this updated Cowork as a beta to subscribers of the Max plan, priced at $100 a month. The features are expected to move to the Pro tier, costing $20 a month, in due course. It is unclear if free users will ever gain access.
Alongside the update, Anthropic released a report on usage patterns. White-collar workers are increasingly using these tools in their daily workflows. The two largest categories are business process and operations, such as data reports and checklists, and content creation and copywriting, including slide decks and partnership proposals.
Both OpenAI and Anthropic are integrating chatbots and agents into a smartphone-centric experience. OpenAI launched Codex Remote in June, similar to Claude Dispatch, to control desktop agents from phones. It also added features to its iOS app in July for creating and managing Codex tasks directly from conversation. Anthropic goes further today by merging the chatbot interface with the Cowork agent for browser and desktop versions.
These moves suggest agentic automation is becoming central to how users interact with their devices. The strategy is to build these capabilities into the chatbots millions of people already have, rather than launching new standalone tools.
What it means
The change removes the friction of keeping a computer running overnight. Users can now set tasks and leave their devices closed. The workflow shifts from managing a desktop session to managing a phone conversation.
