Microsoft has been working extremely hard to get a strong foothold in the mobile market. Microsoft's Cortana has proven to be one of the best personal digital assistants and the software giant is trying to get it to as many users as possible. Firstly, Microsoft integrated Cortana in Windows 10 and it has moved up to support Android, iOS and CyanogenOS smartphones.
This is the first time that a personal digital assistant is supporting other platforms and Microsoft's move might pave the way for rivals to do the same. It is still unclear how Microsoft plans on winning over customers that already have integrated voice assistant on their phones. Siri is the most accurate digital voice assistant on iPhones and it poses a great challenge for Microsoft to convince iOS users to adopt Cortana.
Microsoft's aim is to win over more users with Cortana's nifty features. For starters, Cortana lets you set location-based reminders that pop up on your phone when you arrive at a specific location. With Cortana, you will never have to miss calls when you are busy as it sends missed call alerts to your Windows 10 PC and also texts the caller that you will get back later.
Cortana also lets you track flights, packages and more from your phone and PC without having to stay alert and watchful all the time.
In an official Windows Blog, Group Programme Manager for Cortana Marcus Ash also spoke about the partnership with Cyanogen to enable extra features on Cortana. On devices powered by CM, Cortana can be activated by a simple "Hey Cortana" command on any screen to perform various actions like switch network modes, shut down phone, activate Quiet Mode and more.
Cortana is currently available only in the US and China for iPhones running on iOS 8 and above and Android 4.1.2 and up. Cyanogen-powered OnePlus One smartphones will receive Cortana in the US in December.
