Cyanogen OS 12.1.1 rolling out to OnePlus One with Microsoft's Cortana

While we all know Microsoft did side Cyanogen when the company announced that it wanted to build its own version of Android, a few months later it was confirmed that it had cancelled the plans. However, Microsoft was interested in a commercial deal in the future to get their software onto Cyanogen’s mobile operating system and today we have something more on that. Cyanogen Inc. has released Cyanogen OS 12.1.1 for the OnePlus One with Microsoft’s Cortana inside. And it is not just an app but one that’s built-in and deeply integrated into Cyanogen’s Android bits. Recently, we heard that Microsoft did make Cortana available for Android smartphones. Still then, users could not use the ‘Hey Cortana’ hot word, which means that users had better access to Google Now instead.  With Cortana literally baked into the new Cyanogen OS ROM, OnePlus One users will be able to use the hot word and get things done purely by voice. Users will be able to set appointments, alarms, turn toggles on or off and even check or send messages with the same. Sadly though, Cortana integration that comes with Cyanogen OS 12.1.1 (it’s still Android Lollipop) will remain open for the US region only. So for users who prefer Google Now, Cortana can simply be uninstalled. Back in April 2015 Cyanogen Inc. announced its partnership with Microsoft that led to pre-installed Office suite, Bing, Skype and more on smartphones running the custom software. For those of you who are unaware, OnePlus ships its smartphones with its own Oxygen OS and Cyanogen OS is available as an alternative firmware. The same will show up as an update under settings.