14 DAY TRIAL // Cortana, the personal assistant that was previously available on Windows Phone but that will soon debut on Windows 10 PCs and tablets, Android and iOS, will be significantly overhauled this fall to make the most of its expanding availability on more devices.
In an announcement today, Microsoft reveals that Cortana’s Notebook, which is the place where the personal assistant stores the information that you’re willing to share with it, will be available across all devices for a seamless transition from a PC to a phone, to a tablet, or to a device running a different OS.
It’s all possible with the Microsoft account, so once you log in with your username and password, Cortana automatically gets its Notebook to provide you with more relevant content based on the previous information you shared.
Your Microsoft account helps keep your personal assistant connected to you across all device experiences, whether on your PC, phone or Xbox One. Cortana’s Notebook will be available across your devices to keep track of details important to you.
It only stores what you want it to store
Undoubtedly, this could cause some privacy concerns for users who wanted to install Cortana on their devices, but Microsoft says that only what you want to be stored will actually be included in the Notebook. So once you provide your interests, your home or work address, and things like that, they become available on all the other devices only if you want them to.
“Cortana only knows what you want her to know and you are fully in control of how you use her across devices,” Redmond says.
Cortana will make its public debut on Windows 10 PCs and tablets on July 29, when the new operating system launches, while Android users will also get it next month. iPhone users need to wait a little bit longer, as the personal assistant will arrive on their phones later this year.