Microsoft quietly adds new “Rules” and “Scenes” smart home features for Cortana

2 min. read

Published onJanuary 21, 2019

published onJanuary 21, 2019

Share this article

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Even though Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella finally admitted thatCortana won’t compete head-to-head with Alexa and Google Assistant, the company’s digital assistant is apparently still getting new features. As reported byWindows Central, the “Connected Home” section of the Cortana notebook quietly gained two new sections, “Rules” and “Scenes.”

It’s not clear yet if these two sections are live for all Cortana users, but we’ve seen them on a Windows 10 PC running the latest Insider build (18317), as well as the latest version of the Cortana app on iOS. Cortana already lets you add and control several appliances from Ecobee, Philips Hue or Nest, and the new Rules and Scenes features are intended to help you do more with your connected Home.

With Rules, you can create commands with conditions of your choice such as time of day, duration, temperature, and more. Scenes are a slightly more complex feature, letting you create specific commands combining different smart appliances. As an example, you could create a “Good Morning” Scene that turns on your lights, raise the temperature on your smart thermostat, and more. While we haven’t been to experiment with Scenes, the possibilities seem to be quite extensive.

Microsoft has yet to communicate about these new Connected Home features in Cortana, but it’s great to see the company throw a bone to owners of smart appliances. Now that Microsoft wants Cortana to become a “skill” for Alexa and Google Assistant, we didn’t really expect the company to add more “consumer” features to its digital assistant, so that’s definitely a pleasant surprise. Let us know in the comments if you’ve been able to put these new Rules and Scenes Cortana feature into action.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

User forum

0 messages

Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes

Comment*

Name*

Email*

Commenting as.Not you?

Save information for future comments

Comment

Radu Tyrsina

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

Microsoft quietly adds new “Rules” and “Scenes” smart home features for Cortana#

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

Microsoft quietly adds new “Rules” and “Scenes” smart home features for Cortana