Microsoft is planning to bring its virtual assistant Cortana to iOS and Android in the next few months, in a move to bring the service to all mobile platforms.

It follows several moves by Microsoft to remove exclusivity on its services, including Office and OneDrive, last year. Having Cortana on iOS and Android could bring more popularity to its own Windows Phone service that hasn't seen a lot of interest.

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Cortana offers a wide range of functions, including voice recognition, calendar updates and search functionality. Microsoft is preparing to launch new recommendations and reminders for users to keep active in a future update.

The move won't be an instant hit considering iOS and Android have their own virtual assistants: Siri and Google Now. On iOS, Siri is opened by pressing down on the home button and Apple does not offer that functionality to any other app.

That alone creates problems for Cortana on iOS since it won't be implemented in the same way as Siri. Microsoft needs to make sure the virtual assistant is intuitive but also easy to access or it will simply be another unused app on the user's iPhone.

On Android, Google holds similar dominion over the virtual assistant spot located a left-swipe from the home screen. It's unlikely Google will open up this spot to Microsoft's Cortana, although a ROM download might allow that to happen.

Either way, Microsoft has a tough road ahead but offering Cortana on multiple platforms will allow it to collect more information, alongside the implementation on Windows 10.

TagsCortana, virtual assistant, Voice Recognition