Microsoft is continuing to expand Copilot’s feature set, working on additions that include a dedicated Search Mode described in the interface as providing “Enhanced References.” This new mode will appear alongside existing options like Smart Mode and Study Mode, and its primary function seems to be surfacing referenced links in a side drawer when a user searches for topics such as the latest AI news.
Although similar reference link features have been available in ChatGPT for some time, Copilot is now positioning this as a user-selectable mode rather than an implicit functionality. This change could benefit researchers, students, and professionals who want more explicit citation tracking directly within the Copilot interface.
There are also new developments around Copilot’s shopping capabilities. Recently, an order tracking section appeared, allowing users not just to see price changes but to follow specific purchases. The code suggests an eventual roll-out of a native wallet, supporting the addition of payment methods and delivery addresses for streamlined checkout, possibly even enabling “buy-for-me” automation where Copilot makes purchases on users’ behalf.
These updates mirror similar experiments in ChatGPT, indicating a broader push by both Microsoft and OpenAI to make AI agents more transactional and autonomous. The timing of these features points to a release window this fall.
Meanwhile, Copilot is preparing to support more connectors beyond OneDrive, with evidence now of Google Drive integration in development. While this feature has long been present in competitors, Microsoft’s gradual opening could appeal to users working across different ecosystems, particularly those on Windows who also rely on Google’s productivity tools. Given the scale and ambition of these shopping and integration features, it’s plausible that a new model, potentially one optimised for commerce and multi-platform data retrieval, could be powering them. These efforts reflect Microsoft’s ongoing strategy of making Copilot an all-in-one tool, but still playing catch-up with features that have been staples elsewhere for some time.
