Microsoft recently began testing out Cortana integration with Skype users on Android and iOS, leveraging the digital assistant's smarts to surface useful information in conversations. Now, Microsoft is preparing to bring that integration to all users starting today.
In a new post on the Skype blog, Microsoft says that Cortana is now starting to roll out to the mobile Skype app on Android and iOS. The digital assistant will be available in two major ways. The first will see Cortana living inside your chats with others, offering up useful information based on what you're chatting about. For example, if you and a friend are discussing going out to eat or to a movie, Cortana can serve up restaurant options or movie reviews. Cortana will also suggest smart replies as responses and automatically offer to create reminders when it detects you're speaking about an upcoming event.
If you're a regular Facebook Messenger user, a lot of this will look pretty familiar. The implementation looks similar to what Facebook has been doing on mobile, offering up context-based quick replies and actions on the fly.
In addition, Cortana will also live as its own contact on your Skype list. "Get answers to your burning questions, like the name of the lead actor in your favorite movie or what the weather outlook is for the weekend," Microsoft says. "You can also ask Cortana to check your flight status, give you a stock quote, or suggest the best restaurants in your area."
According to Microsoft, this integration will be rolled out gradually starting today on Android and iOS. Curiously, there's no mention of Microsoft's Windows apps — though we previously confirmed that the smart suggestions were available as part of the Skype Desktop Preview for Windows. For now, you can grab Skype on Google Play and the App Store to check out the new features as they roll out.
