Keep Cortana By Your Side
Last Updated on February 11, 2017 by
Cortana is the digital assistant we all know and love. She was introduced to Windows phones and came to our desktops with the release of Windows 10. Now she’s coming to a whole new playing field: Android and iOS.
Microsoft has made it Cortana’s mission to be at your side wherever you are. She doesn’t care if you prefer Android or Apple devices to Windows phones, she’ll be there to help make your life easier.
Because Cortana can follow you from your Windows 10 PC to your Android, iOS, or Windows phone, you’re never without the perfect digital assistant. If you have a calendar appointment, you’ll see it pop up on your computer as well as on your phone.
Cortana goes out of her way to be as helpful and personable as possible. She has full access to her Notebook even when mobile. She performs the exact same as she does in Windows 10. She can open apps with just the sound of your voice, make reminders, manage your calendar, and even determine what song in playing in the room.
She also likes to remind you that she’s not just a robot:
Not only is she friendly and fun to talk to, Cortana makes using your phone much more convenient. I’ve found that I no longer need to wade through the sea of installed apps I have in order to open the one I want. I can just hit the microphone on my home screen and say “Open Outlook” and bam, I’m staring at my email.
Cortana on mobile has made surprising progress in terms of usability and convenience. The most recent update she got was the ability to have a glimpse of your reminders on your home screen, along with voice command shortcuts. This makes talking to Cortana much faster and easier to use, because she’s always right there and ready to help out.
And if you’re an Android tinkerer like I am, you may be running a Cyanogen version of Android. Cyanogen has gone out of their way to integrate Cortana in a way that is perfect for anyone that regularly plays with system settings and options that normal users only configure once.
Some cool options currently available with Cyanogen is that you can wake her with the “Hey, Cortana” phrase and you can control the “Quiet” and “Do not Disturb” modes with your voice. You can also turn on Airplane Mode and disable cellular data connections with your voice.
No matter what mobile platform you use, Cortana is now by your side 24/7. You may want to get to know her better, she won’t be leaving you any time soon.
You can get Cortana for your Android device here and Apple users can find it on the App Store here. Cyanogen users can find info on the Cyanogen-specific Cortana app here.
Besides my love for computers, I am a motorcycle fanatic. I have a background in Office 365 support and windows server.