Claude Cowork comes to mobile and web, runs in the cloud

Anthropic is opening up its Claude Cowork agentic AI tool beyond the desktop starting Tuesday. The capability will now be accessible on mobile devices and through a web interface, reaching Max subscribers first with broader availability coming to other Claude plan tiers in the weeks ahead.

Expanding access across platforms#

Previously confined to the Claude desktop application on macOS and Windows, Cowork now extends to iOS and Android users as well as web browsers. That said, Anthropic notes that the most complete feature set—including local file access—will remain optimized for the desktop client. The mobile and web versions deliver core functionality with some trade-offs in capability scope.

Cloud-based background processing#

A key addition is the shift to cloud-based processing by default. Previously, Cowork needed your device to stay active to continue working. Now tasks can run in the background continuously, even when your laptop is shut down or you switch to another device. Users can still opt for local processing on the desktop app if they prefer, toggling between the two modes as needed.

The new architecture also enables scheduled tasks to proceed without any device online, freeing users from the requirement to keep something running. When Cowork finishes a chunk of work or needs human input, it can push notifications to your phone to alert you of items awaiting review or approval.

Doubled usage extended#

To accompany the launch, Anthropic is extending its temporary doubled usage allowance for Cowork through August 5th, giving users extra capacity to experiment with the expanded offering.