Microsoft Cortana Beta Version Coming to Android Devices in July

Cortana

Microsoft announced that it is preparing to release the beta version of its virtual personal assistant Siri to Android devices sometime in June.

The upcoming feature is part of the tech giant's move to expand its services outside the Windows platform.

In May, Microsoft confirmed that it is working on a Cortana companion app for Android and IOS devices. The company noted that the app will be released to work with its upcoming Windows 10 OS.

Then, in a recent Windows blog post, Marcus Ash, a program manager for Microsoft, wrote that the beta version of the Cortana app for Android devices will be available for testing starting in July.

The program manager, however, did not mention when the test version will be released for the iOS platform.

As previously explained by Microsoft, the functions of the Cortana app for iOS and Android will not be as wide-ranging as compared to its Windows Phone version. Instead, as a companion app, it will help users sync their Android handsets and iPhones more easily with their Windows 10-based desktop computers and other devices, according to Android Authority.

"Cortana is there to connect your worlds and works for you across your devices, in ways that are specially tuned for the device you're on, whether it's your Windows 10 PC, tablet, or phone; your Xbox or your iPhone or Android phone," Ash wrote.

"Regardless of the operating systems you choose across your devices, everything important to you should roam across the products you already own," he added.

As for the app's basic features, Ash noted that Cortana can help users setup reminders and notifications, conduct online searches and answer their queries. All these can be done as long as their Android or iOS devices are in-sync with their Windows 10 PCs.

Microsoft's latest Windows version, the Windows 10, is expected to be released on July 29.