Last week, we reported that Windows 10 Insider Preview build 18922 has a new, hidden version of Cortana. The app is separate from the taskbar, where Cortana has traditionally been found. Today though, Aggiornamenti Lumia spotted the new app in the Microsoft Store.
The bad news is that the app doesn"t work quite yet. Called Cortana - Beta in the Store, it will show up in the Start Menu simply as Cortana. Launching the app shows the familiar Cortana logo and a message that says, "Hi, thanks for taking an interest!" Presumably, this will be made to work soon, similar to the Windows Terminal app that recently showed up in the Store.
The reason that this matters is because it means that Microsoft will be able to update Cortana independently from Windows 10. Like its Edge browser, Cortana needs a Windows 10 feature update for new features, and those only come every six months. And also like Edge, it seems like it"s being replaced with something that can be updated more frequently.
That also means that it might be possible, at some point, to uninstall Cortana from your PC. Alexa is already available in the Microsoft Store, so it could be possible to completely swap out your voice assistant for another.
If you want to check out Cortana in the Microsoft Store, you can find it here.