Microsoft recently confirmed that it's bringing its virtual assistant Cortana to Google and Apple's Android and iOS mobile devices.
According to a blog post from the company, the move is part of Microsoft's way of expanding its presence in the consumer tech industry by delivering its services to the users of rival companies, CNET reported.
Cortana for Android and iOS will be launched as a companion app for the PC version of Windows 10. It will be part of Microsoft's Phone Companion service for the integration of Windows 10 to smartphones.
To get the virtual assistant, Android and iOS users must plug in their devices onto a Windows 10-powered computer. The OS's Phone Companion feature will then install various Microsoft apps and programs, including Cortana, into the handsets, Ars Technica has learned.
According to Joe Belfiore, the head of Microsoft's Operating System's Group, Cortana can provide mobile users with notifications, reminders, flight tracking and other user-friendly guides.
"The Cortana app can do most of the things Cortana does on your PC or on a Windows phone," he wrote in the Windows Blog. "You can have Cortana remind you to pick up milk the next time you're at the grocery, and then your phone will wake you up and buzz with a reminder."
"You'll be able to rack a flight using Cortana on both your phone and your PC, and get the updates on the device that you're on so you don't miss anything," Belfiore added.
Despite these functions, Microsoft noted that the Android and iOS versions of the virtual assistant will not be as powerful or efficient as Cortana's Windows variant due to certain technical limitations.
However, the company stressed that it is still determined in bringing its top-notch virtual services to a wider audience, even though they are using rival products such as iPhones and Android phones.
The Cortana companion app is expected to arrive for Android devices in June. As for its iOS counterpart, there is no official release date yet but the app is scheduled to debut for Apple's operating system sometime this year.
