It’s being reported by Reuters that Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant, will be coming to Android and iOS as an app later this year. The idea that Cortana could come to rival mobile OS first came about in a Microsoft SMX Advanced keynote conversation last year.
During the keynote, Microsoft wasn’t ready to think about distributing Cortana to other platforms, but CEO Satya Nadella has decided it’s time to begin rolling out their products, including Office, more freely to other platforms. The decision was made due to the thought of other users creating or adopting alternates to Microsoft’s software.
Originally, Cortana was meant to help boost sales of Windows Phones by differentiating them with Cortana. So far, the addition of their digital assistant hasn’t helped, so it was decided that putting Cortana onto other platforms was the wisest choice.
The Windows Phones have failed to grow markets share in key markets like the US and China, and only have a 3.6 percent share in the US, according to comScore.