For enterprise technology leaders exploring AI-powered workflow automation, a persistent friction point has been the need to keep a laptop active and an app open for AI agents to run tasks. On Tuesday, Anthropic announced that Claude Cowork, its AI agent designed to perform digital tasks, is expanding beyond the desktop app — eliminating that requirement.
How the Mobile-Enabled Cowork Agent Works
According to WIRED, the new capability means users no longer have to leave their device active — i.e., laptop cracked open — to keep the agent going and run scheduled tasks overnight. Anthropic also announced limited versions of Cowork for users to interact with via its existing Claude smartphone app or the web browser, without needing a desktop connection.
In the launch video, Anthropic shows someone asking for help with a business deal renewal scheduled for the following day. In a single prompt, the user asks Cowork to pull together data from email threads, Slack channels, meeting transcripts, and recent online chatter, then generate a reference document and a prewritten email. Previously, Cowork could do all of that only while the desktop session was active. Now, the agent can run after the user clocks out, catching late-night incoming messages.
Overcoming a Key Limitation
This is not the first time Claude users have been able to interact with Anthropic's agents on mobile devices. WIRED reports that previously, users could pair their smartphone app with their desktop through the "Dispatch" feature, which allowed sending task requests from a phone. But this approach had a major limitation: "Your computer must be awake, and the app must be open for Claude to work on tasks," reads Anthropic's description of the old approach. That's why some users left their laptops cracked open to keep sessions running. Now, Cowork can run tasks without an active desktop session.
WIRED first tried Claude Cowork when it launched in January and reported that the agent could "actually follow through and complete the tasks I asked it to run on my laptop, like organizing a mess of screenshot files into respectable, labeled folders." It also did a solid job scheduling events on a calendar. The agent wasn't perfect and still exposed users to risks like prompt injections or other security breaches, but Cowork felt like a step change in how users could interact with their devices.
Competitive Context: The Always-On AI Agent Race
Anthropic's announcement is part of a larger, recent shift in Silicon Valley toward always-running, semi-autonomous AI agents that users control via texting, according to WIRED. This trend was sparked by OpenClaw, a homebrew agent with a lobster mascot that went viral at the beginning of 2026, as early adopters ran it 24/7 and handed over control of their online lives.
Other tech companies responded: in the first half of the year, OpenAI hired OpenClaw's creator and launched Codex (its adaptive agent); Google launched Spark (its take on the always-on agent); and Anthropic leaned further into making its agents more user-friendly. Anthropic's breakout hit was Claude Code, which helped developers automate tasks. According to WIRED, Cowork takes a similar approach, translates it out of the context of the computer terminal, and puts that power into chatbot form for average users.
Pricing and Availability
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Access to Mobile Cowork |
|---|---|---|
| Max (beta) | $100 | Yes (starting rollout) |
| Pro | $20 | Expected later (trickle-down) |
| Free | $0 | Not currently |
Anthropic plans to roll out this revamped version of Cowork as a beta to subscribers of its Max plan, which starts at $100 per month. Then, the features are expected to trickle down to members of Anthropic's cheaper tier, Pro, which costs $20 per month. It's unclear whether this will roll out to free users, who don't currently have access to Claude Cowork in their subscriber tier.
Usage Patterns: White-Collar Adoption
Alongside this release, Anthropic dropped a report detailing usage patterns for Claude Cowork. WIRED reports that the company claims white-collar laborers are increasingly using its tools as part of their workflows. "Business process and operations," such as data reports and checklists, and "content creation and copywriting," like slide decks and partnership proposals, are the two largest categories of recent usage.
For CTOs and digital transformation leaders, the move to mobile without desktop dependency addresses a fundamental operational bottleneck: AI agents that can work around the clock, on scheduled tasks, without requiring a powered-on workstation. This could enable leaner automation of repetitive office workflows, such as compiling reports from multiple data sources or drafting correspondence, reducing the time employees spend on administrative overhead. However, the security risks noted by WIRED — particularly prompt injection vulnerabilities — remain a consideration for enterprise deployment.
