Anthropic brings Claude Cowork to web and mobile platforms

Anthropic officially expanded its agentic AI platform, Claude Cowork, to web and mobile interfaces, rolling out as a beta starting with Max subscribers. Initially launched in January as a desktop-exclusive tool for Windows and macOS, the cross-platform expansion allows users on iOS and Android to manage long-running, multi-step tasks natively on their smartphones. The update is rolling out gradually over the coming weeks, launching first for subscribers on the premium $100 per month Claude Max plan, with Anthropic saying additional plans will follow without specifying which or when.

Background cloud processing frees up local hardware

The update is a shift toward cloud-based execution by default, as revealed by the official announcement. Rather than relying on local machine hardware to process agentic loops, Cowork sessions now run remotely on Anthropic's servers. This server-side infrastructure allows scheduled workflows... such as aggregating overnight email threads, scanning recent industry news, or building comprehensive morning briefing documents... to execute continuously even when a user's laptop is completely powered off. Cross-device continuity enables professionals to initiate high-effort workflows on a desktop workstation, track progress on a phone while commuting, and retrieve finalized deliverables later on any connected device.

Usage metrics reveal a shift toward everyday administrative tasks

Alongside the cross-platform rollout, Anthropic published internal data analyzing 1.2 million anonymized sessions across more than 600,000 organizations to highlight how the tool operates in enterprise environments. Despite initial industry assumptions that agentic tools appeal primarily to developers, software engineering accounted for just 8.7% of all active Cowork sessions. Instead, over 90% of logged activity centered on standard knowledge work.

Standard admin chores, balancing expenses or pulling scattered team updates into a single report, accounted for 33.4% of the system's total workload, followed by everyday copywriting and content creation at 16.4%.

Even though the new web and mobile options make checking in a breeze, local file access and browser use still depend on the Claude Desktop app running in the background... meaning heavy, file-intensive tasks are best handled with the desktop client open, even if the session itself is started or monitored from a phone or browser.

Anthropic is also keeping a tight leash on automation safety. Whenever Claude hits a roadblock requiring a real decision or prepares to send out an email, it fires a notification to your phone for a manual sign-off, ensuring the agent never pushes any work live without your explicit approval.