While industry observers wait for Microsoft to introduce it’s umpteenth re-entry in the mobile space, the company has been quietly expanding its presence on other’s mobile offerings. With a multitude of apps and services on both iOS and Android, Microsoft’s shortcomings in the mobile are becoming somewhat subdued for some of its users
For users on Android, Microsoft’s presence has expanded to include becoming a default option as the operating systems digital assistant. Since the beginning of the digital assistant revolution, the home operating system became the cherished real estate reserved for the incumbent OS developer, however, thanks to the openness of Android’s system, Cortana can now be set as the default assistant.
Over the past couple of couple of days, Microsoft has been rolling out an update for Cortana that when installed will prompt the user on their next use of the assistant feature to choose between the Google digital assistant or Cortana.
For those who are not readily seeing the option, it may be hidden within the Cortana app settings and require a few more hoops to jump through. However, a few more button presses to get a unified experience across a Windows 10 device and Android will be a small price to pay for some.
As some have already pointed out, most of the functionality of Cortana on the desktop appears on mobile with the exception of the voice activation. Unlike on desktop, many queries that would make Cortana relevant for most are initiated through voice and still prevents Cortana from becoming a true assistant on mobile for many.
Perhaps, with a few more months of development, “Hey Cortana” will be a thing on Android soon.
