Cortana On iPad Gets Native Support

Those of you who use Microsoft's Cortana on iOS have a pleasant surprise awaiting you on the App Store today. Microsoft has delivered an update to the Cortana app, and though it isn't massive, it's still pretty significant. This update tosses functionality for iPad into the mix, allowing it to run natively on Apple's tablet.

This, of course, means that Cortana has a new UI that fits your tablet's display, regardless of which iPad you're using. Though it looks more or less the same as the iPhone version of the app, the updated UI will probably still be appreciated by those who have tried to use Cortana on iPad in the past. This new iPad support seems to be the meat and potatoes of the update, though Microsoft does note it's made enhancements that allow Cortana to open 20% faster on iOS devices.

That increased launch speed won't go unappreciated by Cortana users on iOS, as they need to use the app to run Microsoft's AI. Apple, as some of you are probably already aware, won't allow any AI but Siri to integrate with iOS, so if you want to use Cortana on your iPhone or iPad, you're limited to interacting with her within the app.

That isn't the end of the world, but it would be nice to see Cortana get the same level of functionality in iOS that she has on Windows 10. That isn't likely to happen, so Cortana stalwarts will have to simply live with using this somewhat pared back version of Cortana on their mobile devices. That is, of course, unless Microsoft decides to revive Windows 10 Mobile, which while always possibly doesn't seem particularly likely.

In any case, for those of you who do tolerate the limits Apple has placed on third-party assistants like Cortana, you can find this update over on the iOS App Store [download].