‘Hey Cortana!’ Microsoft’s assistant for Android goes hands-free with the

In fact if anything, this actually helps make the app more useful since prior to this, the question of how integrated Cortana would be has come up in a debate as to whether or not it could potentially replace Google Now. Hey Cortana can only work if the Android device’s display is active, similar to how Okay Google works. Although voice activation on Cortana works the same way as it does with Google Now, meaning severely limited, Microsoft is working on expanding the app and what it can do and implement those on mobile platforms like iOS and Android.

If the user chooses the appropriate option, Cortana is created to respond to the user’s voice when the app is open or if the screen is unlocked.

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.

On Windows devices, the personal assistant can be summoned while the device is locked.

However this is again dependent on the phone you have and whether or not it has an “always-listening” mode.

Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant on Android is now a lot more powerful. 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.

The continued improvement of the service is another sign that Microsoft is finally committed to offering the same experience across all platforms rather than simply saving the best features for Windows devices. Until then, the beta will have to do.