At its Build 2016 developer conference Microsoft naturally had a lot to update on its digital assistant Cortana. The company launched Cortana Collection in the Windows Store to highlight the “nearly 1,000 Cortana-enabled apps already available” to Windows 10 users.
Microsoft’s Marcus Ash also shared some new features coming to Cortana as part of the Anniversary Update. Cortana will be able to proactively make suggestions for you throughout your day.
These include offering to buy you lunch, arranging transportation, or even detecting receipts in your email and forwarding them over to an expense report. Skype group program manager Lilian Rincon showed off Cortana working within Skype, highlighting key points in your messages and bringing up information cards she thinks are relevant. Cortana will even send you private messages on Skype.
After creating a lunch appointment, Cortana will offer additional choices like booking a table or placing an order for pickup. She can also send off documents to a co-worker without you having to manually search for the file.
Furthermore, Cortana will soon be available above the lock screen. You’ll thus be able to access the digital assistant for common tasks without unlocking your device.
Best of all, developers will have full access to Cortana’s proactive intelligence. That means they will be able to build apps with proactive actions, performing tasks based on the user’s context and environment.
Microsoft has been making small improvements to Cortana this year, but nothing this major.