Microsoft has made good on its promise to make Cortana available to iOS devices.
The company polled Windows Insiders earlier this month to gauge interest in the idea and received enough feedback that it has begun rolling out Cortana in beta form to those interested in testing.
Cortana is Microsoft’s virtual assistant, which first debuted in Windows Phone 8.1. Cortana for iOS can be used to track flights and calendar appointments, set reminders and alarms, and monitor packages. Microsoft said testers will not be able to launch Cortana with the “Hey, Cortana” catch phrase, but most other features are intact. Cortana testers will still be able to interact with Siri, Apple’s own personal assistant.
Eligible beta testers will receive an email with information on how to download the app. The beta software is being distributed through Apple’s TestFlight program, which functions apart from the iTunes App Store. TestFlight allows beta-class apps to be installed on iOS devices. Typically, iPhone apps can only be installed directly from the App Store. TestFlight limits beta testers to a maximum of 2,000.
Cortana is already available to Android devices.
