Microsoft announced on August 24 that the beta version of the Cortana, an intelligent personal assistant, is now available to all Android phone users.
The voice controlled personal assistant can do many tasks for users such as setting reminders, sending text messages and answering questions using information from Bing.
"The Cortana app on Android is the companion to your Windows 10 PC, extending Cortana's functionality across any device you carry, everywhere you go," per a Windows blog.
Windows 10 users are already using Cortana for PC and Android users can also experience the app by downloading the beta version.
Interested Android phone users can sign up and become a beta tester in a simple way. Users who already have the app installed on their device will get an update for the beta version. Users who do not have Cortana can download the app from Google Play and then update it to the beta version.
Users should make sure that they use the same Google account, which is linked to their Android device when signing in.
Once the app is installed on a device, users will get a similar experience as found in Cortana for Windows 10. However, the phrase of "Hey, Cortana" for waking up the app, which provides a hands-free experience to users, will not be available on the Android app.
It is also very simple to leave the beta testing once the final version of the app is available.
You can leave the beta program at any time. If you leave the beta program and a public version of the app is available, you can switch to public version by uninstalling the beta version and installing the app again on Google Play.
Cortana is currently available to mobile users in the U.S. only; however, Microsoft may introduce the app to other regions in the near term.
