Microsoft’s personal assistant, Microsoft Cortana, has a new update rolling out in the beta channel this morning. The new beta build is version 2.9.3 and while it doesn’t bring new features, it does bring a lot of performance improvements and stability to the app.
The update outlines three key areas of focus in the release notes:
- Improved app performance
- Stabilized the app
- Fixed several crash bugs
While that isn’t overly exciting, the fact is that Microsoft has been working pretty hard on getting Cortana solid for Android. Having tested out this new beta build this morning, I can say it is much faster than the current stable channel build and seems to be far more reliable.
Like many of the Microsoft Android apps, Microsoft Cortana is aimed at giving users the same content and information across both their phone as well as their Windows 10 powered PC. The new Continue on PC feature, which is in this update, allows you to link your phone to your PC and share links across devices (Chrome links from your Android phone to Edge on your PC).
Also remember that as of a few stable channel releases ago, Cortana can now be your default voice assistant on your Android phone, replacing Google Assistant. For non-PC users, this may seem trivial but it completes the assistant package for Windows 10 users who leverage Microsoft apps on their phone.
Assuming that the beta testing goes well, this update to Cortana should hit the stable channel in a few weeks if not sooner. If you don’t want to wait and would like to try out the beta build, you can sign up to be a tester at the Google Play Store. Remember, it is beta!
If you want to give Microsoft Cortana a try but don’t want to bother with the beta, you can download the stable version in the Play Store.
