14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is trying to make Cortana available beyond Windows, so today the company is launching a private beta program for the personal assistant on iOS, with 1,000 seats currently available.
In other words, Microsoft is looking for 1,000 users who can participate in a private beta program for Cortana on iOS in an attempt to improve the personal assistant and bring it closer in terms of functionality to the one on Windows.
The company hasn’t released a public announcement for the new private beta, but it did launch a survey requiring users to fill in some details before being accepted into the program.
“We’re launching a new beta program for the Cortana iOS app and want your feedback to help improve the product experience and shape the future of Cortana on mobile. It's a limited beta for our users in the US and UK, so we will involve 1000 users to join us. If you’re interested, simply fill out the survey with your details and we’ll reply with how to enroll,” Microsoft says.
Already available on iOS
Cortana is already available in the iOS app store and is currently at version 1.9.15, but Microsoft wants to make the digital assistant better, so a beta testing program for users is the easiest way to achieve this goal.
A private beta program for Cortana also exists on Android, so Microsoft is really pushing hard to make the personal assistant a more advanced piece of technology, especially because competition in this particular industry is getting fiercer with more companies investing in their own solutions.
At the same time, Microsoft’s biggest challenge on Android and iOS is to improve Cortana in a way that would allow it to provide better features that the integrated technologies. On iOS, Microsoft is also trying to deal with limitations implemented by Apple in the operating system, so features such as Hey Cortana are not yet available.
Apple, on the other hand, is also pushing hard for Siri, its own personal assistant available on the mobile operating system, so competition on Cupertino’s ground seems to be getting more interesting.