In order to access the feature Android users must update the beta app and simply enable the option “Hey Cortana” option. As Microsoft continues to push Cortana to be a cenralized hub for everything Microsoft, Redmon has recently released an updated to the Android app. Version 1.0.0.289 is now up and is set to bring a hands-free search experience to the Android platform. Because Cortana is not integrated into the operating system like the “OK Google” voice feature, Microsoft’s assistant carries certain limitations of non-native operation.
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Cortana is still a fledgling assistant and even more so on Android.
While Microsoft’s move may seem to make its users move further away from Windows Phone since the company is already baking its features into Android, it works in the contrary.
However this is again dependent on the phone you have and whether or not it has an “always-listening” mode.
Those in the game for the beta version of the app can easily use Hey Cortana instead of OK Google to bring up the virtual assistant and ask it to do tasks for you.
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Obviously, since it needs the phone to be unlocked, Hey Cortana barely has a goal on an Android phone, and it’s hard to believe that anyone would give up on OK Google just to use Microsoft’s personal assistant. As it stands, Cortana is available on Android as a beta and if you’re wondering how useful it is, you might be interested to learn that in the latest beta, Microsoft has activated the “Hey Cortana” feature. She’s particularly useful if you’re also using a Windows 10 computer, which has Cortana built into the desktop and into the Edge Web browser.
