Microsoft Cortana iOS App Finally Adds Native iPad Support

More than two years after Microsoft's Cortana released for Android and iOS users, the app will now include native iPad support. The Cortana App that enables users to access Microsoft's digital assistant now has an "exclusive layout and interface" for the iPad. This means that iPad users will now have the additional option in the form of Cortana, alongside Apple's Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. Notably, the Cortana app is now available for free on the App Store, for iPad users to download.

Similar to Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, Cortana is a digital assistant that provides information through machine learning techniques. It can present personalised news stories, track flights timings, make users aware of emails, set reminders, and schedule calendars. While launching the voice assistant in India, Microsoft had claimed to have moulded Cortana to work with the Indian accent and also brought an Indian voice. However, on the iPad and iPhone, the available languages, currently, are English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese.

As per the information on App Store, the Cortana app is a 140.4MB download on iPad and it requires iOS 9.0 or later. It is not available in India and is currently limited to select markets only.

Microsoft has also claimed that Cortana will now launch 20 percent faster on the iPad and iPhone. It is worth noting that Cortana can be used on Apple devices but only within the app, as it isn't fully integrated with operating system. This means that you cannot access information via Cortana - or any other third-party assistant - if your iPad is locked.

In other news, Microsoft and Amazon are expected to bring Cortana and Alexa together. While the integration was announced back in August last year, it still hasn't rolled out.