At the start of the New Year, with no warning, Microsoft gives its flagship productivity app a name change and a huge price increase. Why would the company make this mess? I asked Copilot, who explained it very well.

Further frustration arose from the confusing cross-subscription policies. ZDNet's Ed Bott, who pays for both work and personal Microsoft 365 plans, was essentially blocked from using Copilot features on one of those accounts due to a technical limitation Microsoft apparently didn't properly communicate.

Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscription renewals automatically include Copilot with a small price increase. To avoid the raised price, you must manually downgrade to Microsoft 365 Family or Personal Classic before the renewal takes place.