Amazon and Microsoft partner up to make Alexa and Cortana play together

If you don’t like using only one digital personal assistant, Microsoft and Amazon want to help you.

Both companies announced today that they are partnering so that Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana can interact with one another. That means you’ll be able to ask Alexa to book a meeting through Cortana, or check up on your calendar from digital personal assistant to another. Doing so will be pretty straightforward, too, accessed by saying, “Alexa, open Cortana.”

On Android and iOS devices as well as Windows 10 PCs, you’ll be able to access Alexa through Cortana just by saying “Hey Cortana, open Alexa.” With that statement, you’ll then be able to do things like control your smart devices in your home, as well as whatever other Alexa skills you might have in place, too.

This functionality will be rolling out to devices later this year, but there’s no definite timeline in place just yet.

There are a variety of different digital personal assistants out there, and it’s still a burgeoning market, so there’s likely more coming down the pipe. Hearing that Microsoft and Amazon are making it possible for their options to work together will probably be a big benefit for folks who don’t want to rely on just one.

Will you use the upcoming feature?


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