Microsoft Pushes Cortana Onto Android In Limited Public Beta

In May, Microsoft announced that it would be releasing its Cortana digital assistant for both iOS and Android. Today, the latter platform has received the first beta; at this point, there’s been no confirmation of when Siri’s competition will hit her platform.

Microsoft calls this release a “public beta”, but it took no time at all before its test limit was reached – and that’s despite the fact that this is only accessible by those in the US. In case more slots open up, you’ll want to check here. If there’s availability, you’ll be able to join the official Cortana test group and gain access to the download.

Considering the nature of Android, I wouldn’t be surprised if an APK installer file hit the Web before the end of the day, although depending on the mechanisms Microsoft’s put into place, that might not guarantee access to its functions.

Nonetheless, Cortana on Android looks familiar, and offers most of the functions Windows users can take advantage of. A major caveat is that “Hello, Cortana” will not work unless the app is active – something Paul Thurrott says Microsoft is working on.

Here are some quick Microsoft-supplied screenshots:

As much as a whimper that Cortana hitting Android might receive, it’s a big deal to Microsoft that its AI assistant finds a home on alternative platforms. Most people are not using Windows Phone devices, and Cortana’s ultimate goal is to keep people tied into Windows on other devices. Given the slow rollout to Android and iOS, it could be quite some time before we get a clear picture of Microsoft’s potential success here.