Apple's virtual assistant Siri just got more competition on the iPhone

Siri, the iPhone's built-in virtual assistant, is getting more competition as Microsoft brings Cortana to the iPhone, TechCrunch reports.

Cortana is available on Windows, combining some of the features in Siri and Google Now into one package. The software is currently available on Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Android and has now come to iOS in beta.

Google's iPhone app contains Google Now, the virtual assistant that runs on Android.

The Cortana iPhone app is nowhere near as powerful as it is on Windows devices - there is no "Hey, Cortana" prompt, for example - but it can answer search queries, get directions, track interests, and open other apps.

The app is being rolled out via Apple's TestFlight software to a select group of testers. The app description describes Cortana as "your truly personal assistant [that] makes sure [everything] is available where you are."

According to screenshots from Warenotice, the app looks much the same as it does on Windows with a blue "ring" that represents the assistant and a black background.

Microsoft has not given a release date for the app besides the current beta.