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Cortana on Android Update: Microsoft's Update Disables 'Hey Cortana' Voice Search Feature

Microsoft has recently rolled out an update to its digital assistant app, Cortana on Android. The update had a couple of improvements but also removed the app's "Hey Cortana" feature.

If users look at Microsoft's Cortana app on Android page, they would see that the software was updated on Sunday, Dec. 20. The update includes three items. First, it improved the app's stability. Second, it enhanced the app's call and text features. Finally, it removed the "Hey Cortana" feature for the U.S. market.

"We've received user feedback that the 'Hey Cortana' feature is conflicting with Android voice search and are temporarily disabling the feature while we evaluate a solution," a Microsoft spokesperson told VentureBeat.

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"OK Google" can work inside any app, including Cortana, but it seems like the microphone on Android devices has difficulty keeping up with both "Hey Cortana" and Android's "OK Google" feature, the publication explains. This resulted in users experiencing difficulty using Microsoft's digital assistant app.

Although Microsoft had run a public beta program for the Android app, it appears that this particular problem was not encountered or reported to Microsoft.

Whether or not Microsoft will reinstate the app is not clear at this time. But with users expressing their frustration at the feature's removal, and with the company planning to rival Google Now with Cortana, it is likely that Microsoft will re-launch the feature.

The hands-free feature is only temporarily disabled though, which means Microsoft is still looking at getting it working properly and re-launching it at a future time. Because of this update, "Hey Cortana" is currently only available for devices running Windows Phone 8.1. Cortana on iOS does not include this feature.

"Hey Cortana" is a voice command that opens the app. It functions in much the same way as "OK Google." The app was released earlier this month for Android and iOS users in the United States and China.

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