Microsoft Corporation Digital Assistant Cortana Is Coming On Google Android This July

After announcing Cortana for the Xbox One this fall, Microsoft has revealed that Cortana will be making its way to Google’s Android next month

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is looking to bring its digital assistant Cortana to Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS and Google Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating systems. The release date has not been announced, but many suspect that the app will be ready for Android users around the time Windows 10 is released.

On Tuesday, the company announced in a blog post that the beta version of the Cortana app for Android will be available in July, “to test as a companion to Windows 10 PCs.” Being one of the prime features of Windows 10, the company does not want to shut out iOS and Android users from fully experiencing what Cortana can do with Windows 10. During the company’s E3 2015 conference, it announced that Cortana will be making its way to the Xbox One console as well, in the US and the UK “this fall”.

The way Cortana works is that if users set reminders on their iPhone or Android smartphone, it will sync on all platforms. For instance, if one is busy playing games on the PC or Xbox One, the notifications will still pop up. It is a way of keeping users connected 24/7, and to make sure that they are able to access information across all devices owned by them.

Even though the company has still not announced a release date, Android users now have a time frame to work with. Windows 10 launches worldwide on July 29, and the beta app will most probably be ready around that time, although Microsoft has not announced the app release date for Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It is important to remember that Cortana will be available on Windows 10 only in selected markets during the initial launch period.

Cortana was initially built as a rival to Google Now, providing users with important information quickly, but Microsoft has taken it to the next level. Even though it will be available on the iPhone and Android smartphones, the experience will still be a little limited as Cortana is heavily tied to the company’s apps and services. Nonetheless, important functions like reminders and the ability to sync data across platforms will be enough to satisfy Android and iOS users.