Both Apple and Microsoft Improve Android Based Services

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Cortana, Microsoft’s new android-based assistant will go hands-free after the company’s latest software update, this news arrives in the wake of Cortana for Android being leaked out too early. The Microsoft shocker is beefed up by an even earlier statement of a cyanogen chief stating the Windows phone is dead and the company is planning to integrate Microsoft’s Cortana into the Android marketplace.

Cortana

Android users are already able to activate the Cortana assistant by yelling Hey Cortana at their smart phones; however currently there are still a couple of limitations on her services. If this gives potential users the idea that Cortana on Android must be considered second-rate to the Windows version, they can think again! The new Cortana on Android beta will actively listen for commands whenever users call out Hey Cortana.

All users are required to do beforehand is to go into Cortana’s settings menu and ensure they tick the Hey Cortana checkbox. The current limitations on Cortana’s Android based functionality simply pertains to the fact that the service will only be active while the smart phone screen is on and unlocked, or alternatively if users already have the app open even with the screen off. These limitations remain true even for Android’s native Google Now services on a great number of Android devices. Cortana country remains in a public beta version where anyone is allowed to sign up and try it for themselves, while the world awaits Microsoft’s official announcement of a non-beta launch date.

In more great news for Android users, the media has been filled with a multitude of leaked screenshots that purportedly shows an Apple Music app developed for Android. The newly leaked screenshots illustrate a number of features that include a For You screen as well as a Beats One screenshot. Unconfirmed insider information revealed that the Android version is expected to be arriving soon as a number of details have started seeping out. The screenshots first published via German mobile tech site MobileGeeks and SlashGear show the app to retain the iOS version’s appearance while integrating a number of Android design standards which include Android’s Hamburger menu in the top right hand corner. Apple had previously announced they would launch Apple Music for Android during this year’s fall season.

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