If you use a smartphone with Windows Phone 8.1 and its Cortana digital assistant installed, make sure you are at least 13 years old if you want to hear the voice of Jen Taylor. That's the official word from Microsoft after some people who downloaded the developer preview version of the OS found that younger kids were not allowed to use Cortana.
This new rule was confirmed by a Microsoft rep in their Answers message board this week after some users, such as "stocktiki", noticed something odd when their children tried to use Cortana with their own Microsoft Account profile. It seems that if a profile is for a person younger than 13 years old, Cortana offers the message, "I'm sorry, you'll need to be a bit older before I can help you."
Microsoft launched its Kid's Corner feature as part of Windows Phone 8, which allows parents a way to let their children use their device but under their own accounts, so that kids can't access material that is inappropriate for their age. It would appear that the use of Cortana is considered one of those features that Microsoft is barring from that age group.
Source: Microsoft Answers via WPCentral | Image via "stocktiki"
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