Windows 10 Anniversary Update: What new things can Cortana do?

After experiencing the updated Cortana in the new Windows 10 Anniversary Update, it would be difficult to imagine using Windows without her. Cortana now has many features to make daily tasks much easier and almost effortless.

Many things can now be done without touching your keyboard or mouse at any point. Making a reminder, searching for something on the internet, or finding your phone and making it ring. There are also things Cortana can do to go along with other improvements to the software. Probably the most useful feature Cortana now has is the ability to set a rich reminder by just speaking.

Cortana also gives you the option to let her know what you like. If you like sports, you can add your favourite teams and she will update you with games and scores for those teams. If you are a fan of trying new food at restaurants, Cortana can give you recommendations of places that are receiving good reviews. Here's everything Cortana can do.

Rich reminders

Cortana is accessible from the 'ask me anything field' on the left of the taskbar. It can now set reminder without additional info from you. Just click the microphone and ask her to remind you to get groceries, and that's that.

However, setting a reminder or looking for information has never been more simpler on a PC. If you say, "Hey Cortana, remind me to call mom at noon," it will automatically set a reminder for noon. If you need to get some flowers for a loved one, you can say, "Hey Cortana, flower shops," and you'll get a list of all the flower shops in your area, their address, and the ability to call them.

These reminders also give you the option of making them rich by adding a time or photos, which in the future, gives you the option to ask her about the place you may have gone and what it looked like. You may need to enable the features like "Hey Cortana" by opening Cortana bar and clicking on the gear button. This will show you all of the settings Cortana has, such as ensuring she only answers to your voice, or letting her work even when your device is locked. This gives you the ability to play music or set reminders without unlocking your device.

Cortana reminders also always appear at top of Action Center (but that can be changed to another app in Settings).

Cortana across devices

Something that makes setting reminders through Cortana even better is the ability to receive those reminders across multiple devices. Whether you have a Windows phone or Android, you can download Cortana and receive updates and reminders on your computer and phone.

The Cortana app can also be used to send information like message alerts, missed calls, and battery saver information to your computer. If you receive a text message, you can answer it from your computer when the notification appears in the Action Center.

Lock screen

If you have a subscription to Groove, the music app in Windows 10, you don't even need to unlock your device to play music. While at your lock screen, ask Cortana to play rock music or a certain artist, and she will play that music.

With the ability to use Cortana on the lock screen, so many things can be accomplished in seconds without having to wait for a computer or laptop to unlock and load just to play music or set a rich reminder.

Cortana coupons

If you enjoy shopping online, Microsoft Edge may be the internet browser for you with Cortana's ability to find you coupons. If you are on a website like Target, Cortana will alert you that she has found coupons and asks if you would like to use them. The only downfall is that these coupons may have nothing to do with what you're shopping for.

Find my phone Cortana find my phone

Losing your phone is easy to do, and it is frustrating when have it on vibrate and can't hear it ringing. If you ask Cortana to find your phone however, she will locate it and then give you the option to dismiss it or make it ring.

Identifying music

Sometimes little things are overlooked in updates, but it is the small features that make using your device more enjoyable. Cortana has the ability to identify a song that is playing, and when you ask her what song is playing, she brings up a menu with information about the song as well as a list of songs you have searched in the past. By selecting the song, it opens the Windows Store, so you can instantly buy the album or even listen to the song for free. 

Source: Windows 10 Anniversary Update: What new things can Cortana do?