Claude Cowork
Close the laptop, and
Cowork keeps working.
Anthropic has expanded Cowork, its autonomous-execution tool that used to be desktop-app only, to the web at claude.ai and to iOS/Android apps in beta. Sessions now keep running on Anthropic's own servers, so work continues even after every device is closed. Doubled usage limits are also being extended through August 5, so this week is effectively the window to try it.
The "close the laptop,
it stops" rule is gone
Cowork used to keep its session alive only inside a desktop app that had to stay open.
Cowork is the same family of product as Claude Code: an agent you hand off multi-file, long-running work to. Until now, the local desktop app was the session itself, so closing or sleeping the laptop stopped the task. In this beta, sessions are hosted on Anthropic's servers and saved to your Claude account instead, so work keeps running with no device online, and scheduled tasks can execute on their own.
The use case TechCrunch describes is starting a task at your desk, checking progress from your phone while out, and picking up the finished output from anywhere. Being able to follow the same session across devices is the real break from the desktop-only version.
| Before (desktop only) | After the beta (web, iOS, Android) |
|---|---|
| Task stops unless the app stays open | Session keeps running in the cloud after closing the device |
| Only usable in front of a PC | Usable from claude.ai, the iOS app, or the Android app |
| Only the Max plan is supported | Max first, Team/Enterprise expected to follow |
| Usage limits run as normal | Doubled usage limits extended through August 5 |
The data says it isn't
a coding-only tool
Anthropic analyzed anonymized sessions from May 11-31, 2026 and published how Cowork is actually being used.
More than 90% of sessions had nothing to do with software development, according to VentureBeat. The largest category was "business process and operations" at 33.4%, followed by "content creation and copywriting" at 16.4%, while software development made up only 8.7%. Developers still tend to reach for Claude Code for coding itself, and Cowork is growing mainly as a way to hand off routine, non-code work in bulk. The web and mobile push looks aimed squarely at making that non-engineer usage easier to reach.
The rollout follows this order
From the Max-only launch to the temporary doubled usage limits — three dates worth tracking.
Beta opens for Max
Cowork on web (claude.ai) and iOS/Android first opened to subscribers on the Max plan.
Team and Enterprise join
The beta is expected to extend to Team and Enterprise plans — the moment organization-wide adoption decisions become relevant.
Doubled usage limits end
The 2x usage limits extended to mark the web/mobile launch are set to run through August 5. After that, limits are expected to return to normal, so it's worth trying larger tasks before the deadline.
The payoff depends on your role
Same feature, different-sized upside depending on how you work.
Engineers
Hand off branch cleanup or refactors to Cowork and step away — repo-side work keeps running in the cloud. Core coding still lives mainly in Claude Code, so the payoff skews toward the routine work around it.
Business/operations
The single biggest use category (33.4%) — process cleanup, report drafting — can now be directed and reviewed from a phone while out of the office. This group gains the most from fitting work between meetings and travel.
PMs / project leads
Check progress on tasks seeded across several projects during the morning commute, from a phone. Being able to receive finished output on whichever device is at hand matters most for roles spanning multiple projects.
If your work already ends at your desk,
the change is still small.
Read this as a beta, not a finished rollout
This expansion is still explicitly a beta. Supported plans remain centered on Max, with Team/Enterprise expansion expected around August 3 — too early for many organizations to treat as a rollout decision. The doubled usage limits are also time-boxed through August 5, and shouldn't be mistaken for a permanent increase.
The size of the benefit also depends on how you already work. If your tasks already finish entirely on the desktop app, moving to web and mobile doesn't by itself make output faster or better. The value of "a task doesn't stop when you step away" or "you can check progress from another device" is large for people who travel or move around a lot, and comparatively thin for people who are always at their desk. Worth trying once within the window, with that asymmetry in mind.