Cortana Is Coming To Android And iOS

It’s official:  Microsoft is releasing Cortana Voice Assistant to both Android and iPhone. Both platforms will get an app that will help you keep your life organized. With features like dictating reminders and keeping track of flights, the app will heavily resemble much of what is seen on the Windows Phone. Cortana’s Notebook, which is tasked with remembering what you like, will also sync across all of your platforms. Cortana is expected to be available for Android in June of this year and land on the iPhone a little later on.

Since Microsoft will be unable to tap directly into the OS like it can on Windows devices, there won’t be any hands-free activation through “hey Cortana.” Still, it will be interesting to see what Cortana can do when it crosses platforms later this summer. Especially since it’s not the only treat Microsoft has in store for smartphones.

Microsoft has also announced a new “Phone Companion” app for Windows 10 that is designed to help users connect their PC to the smartphone of their choice. The Phone Companion app will be built directly into Windows 10 and it will basically offer an easy guide on how to set up OneDrive to work across all of your devices. This means that things like documents, notes, and photos will be available across all of your devices – no matter which device you originally stored your information on. You’ll also be able to access music stored in your OneDrive account – a feature to which Windows Phone users have already grown accustomed.

Catering to Android and iOS users is a brilliant plan by Microsoft to encourage users to sign up for a OneDrive subscription. The integration of Cortana (if you choose) into Android and iOS  will basically act like a bridge for things you start doing on your laptop but want to finish later; it will also be bridge to an entirely new market of mobile users.

Anyone who joins the early-stage Windows Insider Program will be able to test out the new Phone Companion app is just a few weeks.