Fans of Cortana who happen to own an Android phone will be happy to know that a prerelease build of the Cortana Android app has been leaked.
The leaked app is reportedly functional and is everything you would expect from the Cortana app for Android, making it seem as though the leaked app is very close to the final version.
"In the spirit of the Windows Insider Program, we're testing the Cortana for Android beta with a limited number of users in the U.S. and China before releasing the beta publicly in the next few weeks," said a Microsoft spokesperson to VentureBeat regarding the leak.
The leak probably didn't come from a Microsoft employee, more likely originating from a tester in the U.S. or China.
The official app is set to be released in a matter of a few weeks, and is highly anticipated, especially for those who already use Cortana on their PC via Win 10. The Cortana app will also be released on iOS, and of course Windows Phone, and will integrate with a user's Microsoft account with the assistant learning across all platforms as it goes.
Based on the leak, the app features a dark theme with white highlights and areas for content, similar to the desktop version.
While the app does look pretty complete, there are a few things missing. For example, the app doesn't offer the ability to say "Hey Cortana" to activate the assistant. There are some parts of the app that are unfinished, too, such as the ability to use Cortana to send messages to contacts.
It's not yet clear if the fact that users cannot use "Hey Cortana" to activate the app is because of a limitation with Android or because of the fact that the app is incomplete.
It's also important to mention that while previously Microsoft said the app would be available for "Android phones" and "iPhones" rather than "Android" and "iOS," some were able to install the leaked app on Android tablets without a problem. According to reports, the app installed without a hitch on any device running Android 4.4 KitKat or above.
The release of Cortana for platforms other than Windows Phone highlights the fact that Microsoft is trying to make waves in the mobile industry regardless of whether or not it can successfully market Windows Phone. It seems as though the company has realized that Android and iOS users aren't as willing to switch to Windows Phone as Microsoft would have liked.
