Microsoft is on a mission to create the most device-friendly operating system to date. Native Windows 10 apps like Cortana, the Phone Companion App, and Xbox Music are all going to be available to download on iPhones and Android devices.
In competition with Apple’s Siri and Android’s Google Now, Cortana is a digital assistant that helps you set reminders, do search queries, check flights or weather information on your smartphone.
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In a blog post announcement, Microsoft explains that all changes made in Cortana’s notebook will be reflected across all your devices. These changes include tasks like taking photos, creating playlists, and so on with your iPhone, for instance, which are then synced with OneDrive and are instantly accessible via your PC.
Besides Cortana, the Phone Companion App will help you setup a Windows phone, Android phone, or iPhone to ensure your key Windows experiences, such as photos, movies, and documents.
Xbox Music furthermore has been updated to enable free streaming playback of your music and playlists from OneDrive across devices, regardless of the operating systems.
The company wants Windows 10 to stay relevant in a multi-device world where everything, from a three-year-old printer to your latest tablet, can speak to each other.
Windows Universal Apps is supposed to fill this communication gap by being compatible with your PC and mobile devices. As you may know, however, Microsoft’s market share in an Android and iOS dominated world is quite small, which is likely why the company is applying the if-you-can’t-beat-em-join-em approach.
“Regardless of the operating systems you choose across your devices — everything important to you should roam across the products you already own — including your phone,” Joe Belfiore says, who’s Microsoft’s vice president of operating system.
Android and iOS users won’t get the full Cortana experience, however. Some features like toggling settings or opening apps won’t initially be available in the Cortana companions.
The Cortana companion will be available for Android in late June and iOS later this year.
