Cortana Integration Coming to Outlook Mobile Apps

Microsoft is reportedly testing a new Cortana integration for Outlook’s mobile apps on Android and iOS. The new integration, currently in internal testing, will look to offer a hands-free experience for Microsoft’s popular email client on Android and iOS, reports The Verge.

Cortana will allow Outlook users to check their inbox with voice thanks to the new integration. By simply asking “what’s my email” will allow users to listen to Cortana read out their inbox. What’s more, users will also be able to respond to emails in their inbox, or write new emails their voice. The integration seems incredibly useful, especially if you are someone who gets a ton of emails and travels a lot.

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Cortana is already accessible on Outlook.com through the Skype integration and the Cortana bot for Skype, though this new Cortana integration on Outlook mobile’s purpose is entirely different. It’s not clear if Microsoft will allow users to use the personal assistant for regular tasks like checking the weather, news, etc. from the Outlook apps, however.

Needless to mention, Microsoft’s personal assistant is a critical position at this point. It’s clear the personal assistant is falling way behind Microsoft’s main competitors like Google and Amazon, and there’s a staggering amount of things Cortana has to catch up to. Just last week, Outlook’s boss moved to lead Cortana, and we will likely see some drastic changes to the firm’s strategy in the coming months.

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Conversation 11 comments

  • Joshua Manring

    05 March, 2018 - 4:04 pm

    <p>I’d rather have them fix the countless UI bugs rather than spend time on this… I’m sorry, but adding Cortana isn’t going to help me reply to an email when the keyboard is randomly covering the text input field (this has been an issue for at least a year)</p>

    • RonH

      Premium Member
      05 March, 2018 - 5:06 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#250711"><em>In reply to Joshua_Manring:</em></a></blockquote><p>I don't have this on my S7. What are you using? </p>

  • arknu

    Premium Member
    05 March, 2018 - 4:35 pm

    <p>There is really only one thing they need to do with Cortana: Make it available in places so that people can actually use it. Look at how Google is adding languages to Assistant in 2018. Microsoft hasn't added a single language to Cortana for over a year now. Until they fix that situation, Cortana is dead, since the vast majority of user cannot use it, even if they wanted to.</p>

  • VancouverNinja

    Premium Member
    05 March, 2018 - 6:55 pm

    <p>Here we go. We are going to see AI starting to be useful and not gimmicky. Nice to see it starting to be applied where people can really use it productively. </p>

  • wright_is

    Premium Member
    06 March, 2018 - 3:34 am

    <p>But first we need Cortana on Android, don't we? Still waiting for it to be released over here, in Germany.</p>

    • Bart

      Premium Member
      06 March, 2018 - 3:38 am

      <blockquote><a href="#250797"><em>In reply to wright_is:</em></a></blockquote><p>You can side load the app via apkmirror.com for example</p>

  • Bart

    Premium Member
    06 March, 2018 - 3:40 am

    <blockquote><a href="#250797" target="_blank"><em>In reply to wright_is:</em></a></blockquote><p>I hope Cortana will be integrated like in the Microsoft Launcher on Android. It allows the app language to be changed to any country that has Cortana already, without changing the system language. A very sophisticated way of bringing Cortana to the masses IMHO</p>

  • John Scott

    06 March, 2018 - 5:22 am

    <p>I don't use Cortana on my PC's so probably not going to use it on a mobile app. Especially when better alternatives are already available. Microsoft has this #metoo attitude towards stuff but its never more then a poor attempt at being relevant in that market. Already the Invoke is heavily discounted AKA in the discontinued bin. </p>

    • dontbe evil

      06 March, 2018 - 6:35 am

      <blockquote><a href="#250810"><em>In reply to John_Scott:</em></a></blockquote><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">google, apple, amazon, samsung, facebook… have this #metoo attitude towards stuff but its never more then a poor attempt at being relevant in that market</span></p>

      • Stooks

        06 March, 2018 - 5:14 pm

        <blockquote><a href="#250814"><em>In reply to dontbe_evil:</em></a></blockquote><p>When it comes to assistants Microsoft is NOT relevant. Google and Apple own it and Amazon is trailing way behind….Microsoft is not even a player anymore.</p>

  • Stooks

    06 March, 2018 - 9:23 am

    <p>I hate to sound completely negative but seriously no one cares about Cortona. </p><p><br></p><p>Google and Apple own this market with 99% of the market, because they have phones and their so called assistants are native to the devices. </p><p><br></p><p>After phones 1% of this market are "smart" speakers where Amazon has a bit of traction but in the overall market for assistants speakers right now are a tiny fraction of that market. How many echo dots are now in a draw collecting dust?</p>

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