Microsoft is just full of surprises. Even with the company’s recent policy of making most of its software multi-platform, I still didn’t expect Microsoft to bring its digital assistant to rival mobile platforms, but that’s exactly what’s happening. The company announced today that Cortana isn’t going to be a Windows exclusive and will be arriving on Android and iOS in the near future. There’s no word yet if the company plans to bring Cortana over to rival PC platforms as well.
Microsoft is officially confirming today that it’s bringing Cortana to iOS and Android. The software giant is planning to release separate apps for each mobile operating system to enable its digital assistant to run outside of Windows. Microsoft is only providing an early look at those apps today, but the company notes that you’ll be able to make the same queries and ask the same questions using Cortana across Windows, iOS, or Android. The Cortana companion will be available for Android in late June and iOS later this year. While Cortana on iOS or Android won’t be as powerful as the Windows variant, due to various integrations, Microsoft is still providing notification support. You’ll get notifications for sports results, flights, and most of the Cortana features that currently exist in the Windows Phone and Windows 10 versions of the digital assistant. Microsoft’s Cortana cross-platform work is all part of a new phone companion experience for bringing services and features from Windows 10 to all smartphones. Microsoft’s phone companion will help Windows 10 PC owners find relevant apps on their Android, Windows, or iOS phones to make use of OneNote, OneDrive, and many other apps and services.