Microsoft has been distancing Cortana from Windows for months. First, it split the virtual assistant from search in Windows 10. Then, a beta version of a standalone Cortana app appeared on the Windows Store. And starting today, Windows 10 Insiders are able to test the new Cortana app beta in Windows.
It’s designed to be more conversational, and it’s a big part of Microsoft’s new focus for Cortana. Microsoft is separating its digital assistant away from the built-in Windows 10 search experience, and focusing on business users in the process. This new Cortana app for Windows 10 supports most existing features, including queries, assistant conversations, opening apps, managing lists, and basics like setting reminders, alarms, and timers.
These updates come just days after Microsoft announced it’s changing the look of the Xbox One’s Home screen and how you control the console via Cortana. Those changes should roll out to everyone this fall. As for the standalone Cortana app, The Verge says we’ll have to wait until the first half of 2020 to see that deploy across Windows 10.
