Cortana Gets New Smart Home Features

Microsoft is advancing Cortana’s smart home capabilities with new features this week. The company started rolling out two new features: Scenes and Rules, which allows users to automate their smart home, as first spotted by Windows Central.

Cortana Scenes are essentially different scenarios you can create with your smart home devices and control them via Cortana. For example, you can create a scene for every morning where you can ask Cortana to turn on the lights, control the temperature of your house, start playing music, turn on your smart kettle, etc. and every morning you can ask Cortana to trigger that scene to carry all the actions out automatically. It seems like you will be able to connect as many devices as you want as part of a scene, so you can go all in with the automation here.

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Rules are equally interesting. It basically allows you to automate your smart home devices. You can turn on the lights in your room every day at 7 am, for example. Or simply ask Cortana turn off your smart lights in 10 minutes or an hour, etc.

Cortana’s new Scenes and Rules features come at a point where it seems like Microsoft has given up with the personal assistant. The company announced earlier this week that the company wants Cortana to be something that’s accessible via Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, instead of working as a standalone personal assistant. And before you go and comment “I thought Cortana was dead?”, just remember that none of these new features contradicts what Microsoft said earlier this week.

Either way, the company wants all of its users to be able to use Cortana without necessarily having a device built for Cortana and it kind of makes sense. But unless you are a die-hard Microsoft fan who relies heavily on the company’s ecosystem, there is literally no reason to use Cortana over Alexa and Google Assistant.

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Conversation 31 comments

  • jaredthegeek

    Premium Member
    20 January, 2019 - 11:40 am

    <p>When Cortana emerged it was by far the best assistant and then it seemed to really languish as a personal assistant while Google Assistant was becoming much better. I really miss using Cortana but I am all in with Google Assistant now.</p>

    • RonH

      Premium Member
      20 January, 2019 - 2:32 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#398235">In reply to jaredthegeek:</a></em></blockquote><p>I can't get google assistant to Integrate with my outlook mail and Calendar </p>

      • beatnixxx

        20 January, 2019 - 3:13 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#398248">In reply to RonH:</a></em></blockquote><p>This is why they've gone to such great lengths to integrate with Alexa. Without it your outlook.com stuff is locked out as far as assistants go </p>

      • IanYates82

        Premium Member
        21 January, 2019 - 9:28 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#398248">In reply to RonH:</a></em></blockquote><p>I'm hoping the "Cortana available as an assistant to other assistant X" will make this work. Not so much for Outlook.com, but for things like Lync (or eventually when we migrate to Teams), Office 365 calendar, etc it'd be very nice.</p>

  • lordbaal1

    20 January, 2019 - 11:58 am

    <p>"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">But unless you are a die-hard Microsoft fan who relies heavily on the company’s ecosystem, there is literally no reason to use Cortana over Alexa and Google Assistant." Unless you are one your desktop or laptop.</span></p>

    • Omen_20

      22 January, 2019 - 7:06 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#398237">In reply to lordbaal1:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yeah if I were working from home, I could see wanting to manage the smart home features from Action Center.</p>

  • Finley

    Premium Member
    20 January, 2019 - 12:14 pm

    <p>Cortana is the new Microsoft Launcher</p>

  • toms

    20 January, 2019 - 1:16 pm

    <p>Unless you trust MS with your very personal data more then Amazon and lot lot lot more then Google.</p>

  • aerofann24

    20 January, 2019 - 2:15 pm

    <p>I wonder if this means that the brand new Invoke I had just gotten before the holiday on "super sale" for $50 will eventually stop working, or if cortana will continue work there "as usual". Or… If we have indeed entered the twilight zone… a firmware upgrade or some software update will turn it into a Google Home or Alexa device?!</p>

  • sandeepm

    20 January, 2019 - 3:16 pm

    <p>IFTTT has 200 connected services… how many does Cortana have? But it is still good to have scenes trigger stuff via IFTTT as IFTTT lacks scene functionality </p>

    • trevor_chdwck

      21 January, 2019 - 2:38 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#398250">In reply to sandeepm:</a></em></blockquote><p>Cortana has IFTTT as a skill, so technically everything IFTTT can do, Cortana can do too… </p>

  • sglewis

    20 January, 2019 - 10:30 pm

    <p>It’s playing catch-up with alexa on these features with the obvious caveat that nearly every smart device works with Alexa, many with Google and almost none with HomeKit or Cortana. </p><p><br></p><p>With dots for $30 and broad industry support for sensors, bulbs, switches, video devices, doorbells, etc – this won't work. </p>

  • glenn8878

    20 January, 2019 - 10:54 pm

    <p>I can’t figure out what devices will benefit. Maybe in another life, I’ll find a use for it </p>

  • irfaanwahid

    21 January, 2019 - 12:36 am

    <p>And which device(s) to you use these Smart skills/scenes on? </p>

    • donaselfies

      21 January, 2019 - 3:00 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#398321">In reply to irfaanwahid:</a></em></blockquote><p>Windows phone. Lol.</p>

  • aaastartech

    21 January, 2019 - 12:57 am

    <p>Unless you trust MS with your very personal data more then Amazon and lot lot lot more then Google.</p><p><a href="www.technicaloperator.tk/2019/01/how-to-write-seo-friendly-blog-post.html" target="_blank">Thanks</a></p>

  • donaselfies

    21 January, 2019 - 2:57 am

    <p>Sounds like some group in the bowels of MS didn't get the memo that Cortana is dead/EOL, and are continuing their busywork of useless minor updates to it.</p><p><br></p><p>Like those Japanese soldiers that had to be talked out of the jungle they were still hiding in 30yrs after the war had ended.</p><p><br></p><p>Memos. Read them.</p>

    • dontbe evil

      21 January, 2019 - 3:39 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#398330">In reply to donaselfies:</a></em></blockquote><p>that's only what paul thurrot said</p>

      • Greg Green

        21 January, 2019 - 9:28 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#398339">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p>You can read Nadella’s quote in nearly every major and minor tech publication.</p>

        • dontbe evil

          21 January, 2019 - 11:03 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#398382">In reply to Greg Green:</a></em></blockquote><p>yes but I cannot find "t<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">he memo that Cortana is dead/EOL"</span></p>

  • dontbe evil

    21 January, 2019 - 3:39 am

    <p>It’s Official: Satya Nadella Confirms Cortana Defeat</p><p>Posted on January 18, 2019 by Paul Thurrott</p><p>Cortana Gets New Smart Home Features</p><p>Posted on January 20, 2019 by Mehedi Hassan</p><p>Pay attention to the authors</p>

  • roastedwookie

    21 January, 2019 - 9:30 am

    <p>:)) useless…we've had these available everywhere where Alexa and GA are available. No sense in doing a piggy back ride with MS's failed assistant</p>

  • Martin Klimke

    21 January, 2019 - 11:05 am

    <p>Very confusing. On the one hand Nadella talks about having lost the voice assistent race, on the other hand MS is trying to add features to the product competitors had for years?</p>

  • casualadventurer

    21 January, 2019 - 2:33 pm

    <p>Cortana makes sense as the digital assistant for Windows devices. It's what I use in my home office. I have Alexa everywhere else in the house, but when I'm working I don't need to control the lights in the living room or the temperature in the bedroom. Instead I use Cortana to quickly open apps, do math equations, look up simple facts for articles, and make quick entries into my work calendar. I think Microsoft should work on integrating Cortana more into the OS and its apps, rather than trying to go head-to-head with "consumer" AI's like Alexa and Google. </p>

  • aparlette

    21 January, 2019 - 3:52 pm

    <p>It would be nice if the connected home features worked with Cortana on Xbox. That's the place it makes the most sense to me and yet I can only do that from my Windows PC.</p>

  • filmboy

    21 January, 2019 - 4:28 pm

    <p>I have made a commitment to Microsoft since 1990 and I feel as though I have thrown away a lot of money. I have had a Windows phone since its inception and had Windows on a Compaq PDA. I don't want to learn another OS. I am comfortable with my HP Elite x3 and the Windows OS. Why is Microsoft abandoning people like me, who have been loyal customers? </p>

    • mmcewan

      23 January, 2019 - 5:02 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#398519">In reply to filmboy:</a></em></blockquote><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Learning that Microsoft is not your personal friend is like learning that Santa isn't real. The facts are the facts. You cannot shame a machine (Microsoft is a machine) into doing what you want. Machines are never your friend, no matter how much you love them. They are just dumb machines. </span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="ql-cursor"></span>Get a machine that is better than your old machine.</span></p><p><br></p><p>I ditched my HP Elite X3 just a few days ago. Have a Pixel 3XL now. This is my first Android phone. It is a beautiful machine. The apps on Android with the same names as on Windows Phone are much improved. The stock interface of the Pixel is what I am using currently. It is easy to get around in. By comparison, although the live tiles on WP had a tiny bit of utility, that is really all they had. Believe me, you'll get over it. The switching utility between pages and apps on the Pixel is smart, designed to be useful. It is quite an upgrade from WP's old UI. </p><p>Take using LastPass as a prime example: on WP, you've got nothing for usability compared to using it on Android, where it actually can pop up and fill in your user name and passwords as required. Just like on a PC.</p><p>Want news? It's right there, two swipes to the right, all the time, no need to poke a tile or an icon to get it going.</p><p><br></p><p>Actually, much of what happened to WP's GUI when it went to Windows Mobile 10 reflects what was already happening in Android. So I would say the changeover from WMobile is not the shocker that it could have been.</p><p><br></p><p>Where I found the most difficulty was getting my contacts list out of Outlook and into my Google contacts list. Ended up having to import my contacts export file into Gmail on the web, as that seems to be the smartest interface that can properly translate a CSV file export (from your Outlook contacts) without messing up all the data by transposing it into the wrong fields.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

    • Jorge Garcia

      23 January, 2019 - 7:42 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#398519">In reply to filmboy:</a></em></blockquote><p>It wasn't an intentional betrayal. Microsoft TRIED to beat everybody out of the gate with a Mobile OS, but failed to identify the best target audience and time it correctly. They also tried to beat the forthcoming ChromeBook with Windows RT, but that was also the wrong product, at the wrong time, aimed at the wrong people. They were just not nimble enough to turn the Windows Battleship into the wind fast enough to catch onto the next big thing.</p>

  • maelstrom

    21 January, 2019 - 7:25 pm

    <p><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But unless you are a die-hard Microsoft fan who relies heavily on the company’s ecosystem, there is literally no reason to use Cortana over Alexa and Google Assistant.</em></p><p><br></p><p>I'm no fan at all but how can someone be oblivious <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">like that </span>to privacy concerns raised repeatedly against both Amazon and Google goes beyond my understanding! Seriously.</p><p><br></p>

  • YouWereWarned

    22 January, 2019 - 9:45 pm

    <p>As the last remaining Windows Phone user and multi-Invoke owner, hope springs eternal:</p><p><br></p><p>"Hey Siri, ask Google to see if Facebook can tell Instagram to get me a beer, and make sure Nest sends an appropriate thermal offset to the fridge for a COLD one this time"</p><p><br></p><p>"SNAP…….ugh!!!"</p><p><br></p><p>Crap…I'll get it myself…</p>

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