Microsoft Announces Cortana For iPhone Available Later This Year

Tuesday May 26, 2015 7:32 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Microsoft today announced that its Cortana personal digital assistant will be available for iPhone and Android smartphones later this year, after multiple rumors hinting at cross-platform expansion of the service over the past year. Windows 10 will also feature a new "Phone Companion" app as a central place for PC users to install Cortana and other Windows-related apps for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone.


Microsoft unveiled Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1 last April as the company's answer to Siri and Google Now, and the company is also bringing the personal digital assistant to the desktop as part of Windows 10 this summer. Cortana's features include contextually-aware reminders, routing and mapping, current weather and traffic conditions, sports scores, biographies and more.

Microsoft Cortana Nokia
Some of Cortana's features on Windows Phone won't initially be available on iPhone and Android smartphones, including toggling settings, opening apps or "Hey Cortana" hands-free invoking of the personal digital assistant. Microsoft will also release an updated version of its Xbox Music app for iOS with free streaming playback of your music files and playlists from OneDrive in late June or July.

Tags: iOS, Microsoft, Cortana, Android
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zelman
61 months ago
"Hey, Siri! Ask Cortana to remind me to..."
Rating: 41 Votes
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Small White Car
61 months ago
I'm glad that Microsoft finally started acting like a software company again. They're quite good at it.
Rating: 20 Votes
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MacFather
61 months ago
I like the new Microsoft. Satya Nutella is a great CEO so far.
Rating: 20 Votes
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Mackinjosh
61 months ago
Excellent. Both Cortana and Google's voice tool are much better than Siri.
Rating: 19 Votes
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Crosscreek
61 months ago
Two personal assistance on the same machine may cause relationship problems.
Rating: 18 Votes
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Mackinjosh
61 months ago

Microsoft is quite good at making software? Really?

Please cite your proof with references.


Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Phone 8, Office, Azure are all infinitely better than their Apple counterparts. Windows 10 runs better on a new Mac than the latest version of Mac OS does.
Rating: 16 Votes
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MH01
61 months ago
very cool. Good to have options.
Rating: 14 Votes
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jayducharme
61 months ago

Some of Cortana's features on Windows Phone won't initially be available on iPhone and Android smartphones, including toggling settings, opening apps or "Hey Cortana" hands-free invoking


"Initially"? How about "never"? I can't see Apple relaxing iOS that much, giving an app access to system-controlling features such as launching native apps. And I also bet that you won't be able to start Cortana by holding the home button. Even apps like Launch Center work only with specific 3rd-party apps. I would bet that Cortana will launch MS apps, such as Office.

In other words, Cortana will be allowed very limited functionality in iOS, which will reduce its usefulness.
Rating: 12 Votes
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newdeal
61 months ago
I really really really hate Siri, I find she never can understand what I want and always gives me terrible results for navigation requests. Hopefully Cortana will be able to tie in with navigation because for windows phone Cortana did a great job for me (although Here maps was terrible so hopefully it works with something other than that)
Rating: 12 Votes
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Pagemakers
61 months ago
As good news as this is, it's totally impractical unless Apple allow us to use it correctly. We are still waiting for them to do that with email and browser choice so I'm guessing this will be another great app that we can't fully utilise.
Rating: 9 Votes

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