Last month, Microsoft"s digital "personal assistant", Cortana, became available to millions of new users with the launch of Windows 10. But Microsoft latest OS isn"t the only new hangout for Cortana - the assistant is also available as a private beta for Android, which leaked last month.
As WinBeta reports, Microsoft has now updated the Cortana beta, allowing users to replace Google Now as the default assistant on Android devices. Doing so will enable access to Cortana via a long press of a handset"s home button, replacing the functionality that Google Now would otherwise offer.
However, there is one Google Now feature that Cortana can"t yet replicate on Android. Google devices offer the ability to activate voice interactions simply by calling out "OK Google"; similar functionality exists on Windows, but the "Hey Cortana" voice activation prompt isn"t yet recognized in the Android version.
Microsoft hasn"t yet said when a wider public beta of Cortana for Android will be available, nor indeed when it hopes to fully launch the product. However, we do know that Microsoft"s development schedule fell behind a few weeks - the company originally said that it would launch its first beta in June, but it delayed the launch until mid-July.
Cortana is also heading to Apple"s iOS, although a beta version has not yet been released.
Via: WinBeta