14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has signed a partnership with Cheetah Mobile, a leading Android developer, to integrate digital assistant Cortana into its mobile apps.
CM Launcher 3D will be the first application to benefit from Microsoft Cortana, the two companies announced, with an update enabling the new functionality to ship in January 2018 for users in the United States, UK, Canada, and Australia.
While the two companies don’t say it specifically, it’s believed Cortana could also be included in other applications developed by Cheetah next year. Other popular titles include Clean Master and Cheetah Keyboard, which together have millions of downloads in the Google Play Store. CM Launcher 3D alone has between 100 million and 500 million downloads, according to Google Play store stats.
More apps to get Cortana integration
Cortana in CM Launcher will power voice capabilities that would otherwise be available with the dedicated app of the digital assistant, such as phone calls.
“Partnering with Microsoft fits perfectly with Cheetah’s mission to make the world smarter and power our mobile apps with AI technologies. CM Launcher is already the market leader in terms of personalization options, but now, with Cortana, we can bring more smart services to our users,” Fu Sheng, CEO of Cheetah Mobile, said.
Microsoft itself admitted that this is just the beginning of Cortana integration in Cheetah apps, suggesting that further news on this front could follow soon.
“The integration of Cortana and CM Launcher allows more mobile users access to Cortana to help them get things done wherever they are. This represents just the first step in our partnership with Cheetah Mobile, as we hope to integrate Cortana into additional apps and launchers in the future,” said Jordi Ribas, corporate vice president of AI Products at Microsoft.
Android users who want to experience the power of Microsoft’s digital assistant can already download Cortana on their devices from the Google Play Store.
