Microsoft signed a deal that could bring its virtual assistant to 50 million phones

REUTERS/Jim YoungMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella at the Microsoft Ignite conference in Chicago on May 4.

Microsoft has expanded its partnership with Cyanogen, the maker of a popular version of Android, to integrate Cortana, the Siri-like virtual assistant, more deeply, WinBeta reports.

CyangoenMod, which is an operating system based on Android but not affiliated with Google, is used on over 50 million handsets, as of August 2015.

Microsoft's mobile operating system, named Windows 10 Mobile, has been struggling to gain traction, and the deal with Cyanogen - which didn't involve a monetary investment - helps get the company's services, namely Cortana, onto more devices.

Cortana can, on Cyanogen-enabled phones, put the device to sleep, toggle network settings on-and-off, answer voice commands, and more.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has changed the company's vision since he took the reigns in February 2014. The old Microsoft would most likely not have worked on a deal with a third-party, choosing instead to build the technology itself. However, Nadella's goal is to "empower" individuals through services, such as Office or Cortana, which means they have to be widely available.

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