14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is working on integrating digital assistant Cortana into the Action Center in a future Windows 10 update, according to a new report, as the company is also planning to separate the search experience in the operating system.
Cortana is already part of the Windows taskbar, but what Microsoft wants to do is make it less intrusive, yet more helpful for those who use it, so it’ll be moved in the right part of the taskbar where the Action Center currently is.
WindowsCentral writes that by mixing Cortana and the Action Center, the latter could get a different name, especially because Microsoft is also planning to move quick actions to a new Control Center. This means Cortana and all the other notifications will be displayed in a single UI in this revamped Action Center, while all the controls and quick actions will be available in a Control Center where they certainly make more sense.
Coming in Redstone 5?
Microsoft is also planning a chat-based UI for Cortana and it’s believed that this new integration into the Action Center will make it easier for users to interact with the digital assistant.
As for when this is expected to happen, some speculate that Redstone 5 (due in the fall of this year) is the target, but Microsoft has already dropped hints of such a change in the latest Windows 10 builds. However, with the debut of Windows 10 Redstone 4 in the spring, and development likely to be finalized in March, there are slight chances to see this change happening before Redstone 5.
Microsoft has been pushing hard to make Cortana a key feature of Windows 10 and despite recent rumors that the company might be considering giving up on the digital assistant, this is clearly not the case.
What the software giant plans to do instead is integrate the assistant more seamlessly into the operating system and enhance its capabilities in order to make more sense on a PC.