Microsoft releases Cortana to Android as public beta

Microsoft’s Cortana is now officially available on Android. The company announced earlier this year that it would release its digital voice assistant to Android and iOS later this year. Prior to the official release, a private Android beta of Cortana leaked this July. Today the company releases a public beta client of Cortana for devices powered by Google's mobile operating system.

In case you’ve used Cortana on a Windows Phone handset before, it wouldn’t take much time to get settled with it on Android. It maintains the same interface and functionalities. In case you haven't used it before, Cortana is Microsoft's answer to Google's Google Now assistant. You can use Cortana to ask for directions, and get your queries answered, among other things.

Setting it up might take a few minutes. During the first run, it will ask you to sign in with your Microsoft account, a nickname, and ask you to agree to its terms and conditions.

Cortana is also available on the Windows 10 desktop operating system.

Cortana's Android client can be used as a companion app to its desktop counterpart. Once you've integrated both, you'll be able to see all your important phone notifications on the desktop and all of your computer's notifications on your mobile.

Cortana for Android is available for download through the Google Play Store.