Microsoft To Bring Cortana To iOS And Android With Companion App

Microsoft is not limiting the features of Windows 10 to people who play entirely in its own sandbox; the company announced today, via a video hosted by MS operating system lead Joe Belfiore, that both Android and iOS devices will be getting access to a companion app that gives them access to content from their Windows 10 PC from whatever device they choose – and Cortana’s coming along for the ride, too.

The app, which is arriving in late June for both iOS and Android, resides on your PC and gives you access to things like your OneDrive pictures, including offering automatic backup to your account from your phone. You can also find the music you store on your OneDrive account in the app, and more.

Cortana is also included in Windows 10 on the desktop, as the company announced, and you’ll be able to set it up to work with both Android and iOS devices when the companion goes live, too. On Android, it’ll exist as a separate dedicated app (iOS support was only shown as ‘coming soon,’ but it may live inside the Windows 10 companion app instead of as a separate destination). On Android, Microsoft showed it providing weather forecast information, and setting a reminder, plus providing a follow-up alert for said reminder later on.

Siri is obviously platform-locked, so it’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft can capitalize with a personal virtual assistant that can operate beyond its own OS ecosystem. I’ll also be interested to see the full extent of its powers as compared to those of Cortana operating within either Windows or Windows Phone, where it will have more access to local information.