Microsoft officially announced on Tuesday that its personal digital assistant, Cortana, will be arriving on Google's Android and Apple's iOS platforms.
Cortana for third party platforms will be available for download from respective app stores, so users of Windows 10 OS can take advantage of the integration.
"Today, we're announcing a Cortana application for Android phones and for iPhones which works as a companion to Cortana on your Windows 10 PC. The 'Phone Companion' app on the PC will help you install the Cortana app from the Google Play or Apple App Store onto your phone so you'll be able to take the intelligence of Cortana with you, wherever you go," Microsoft said in an official blog post on 26 May.
If you are eager to test Microsoft's Cortana on your smartphones, Android users will have a better luck with an early release next month. Apple's iOS device owners will have to wait until later this year before Cortana app is made available on App Store.
What Cortana can do on Android, iOS?
As Microsoft describes, Cortana will perform most of the usual functions including pick-up reminders, flight tracking, regular updates, auto-syncing information across all devices and more. If you wish to use Cortana on Andorid or iOS, reliance on the "Phone Companion" app on your Windows 10 PC is necessary.
Like Google Now and Siri, Cortana on Android and iOS will be able to answer your queries.
Limitations
Even though Cortana is arriving on Android and iOS, there will be some limitations to things it can do on foreign ground. If you try to wake up Cortana by saying "Hey Cortana," there will be no response. Also navigating into the settings or launching apps will not be an option using Cortana.
"Some features require access to the system that aren't currently possible with iOS or Android, so things like toggling settings or opening apps won't initially be available in the Cortana companions for those platforms," Microsoft explained.
