Microsoft's voice controlled “personal assistant” Cortana may be launched on rival platforms like Android and iOS later this year according to lead developer, Marcus Ash. He has added that Microsoft is preparing the service for debut in the next few weeks in UK and China.

During a recent interview at the SMX Advanced conference in Seattle, Marcus Ash, stated that the company was looking at scaling Cortana internationally and across different devices.

In the interview, he says, “We want to scale Cortana internationally and across devices. The Android/iOS question is interesting. We’re asking, would Cortana be as effective if she didn’t have access to the details on your phone? We’re still trying to get Cortana adopted on Windows Phone and figure out what it wants to become there. But we’re actively talking about this.”

Microsoft's Cortana competes with Apple's Siri and Google's Google Now voice assistants. Google Now is also available on iOS through the Google Search app but it is not tightly integrated due to software limitations. Microsoft has already launched Bing apps for Android and Office on iOS and Android, so perhaps Cortana launching on other platforms is not really far-fetched.