Xbox One is getting the Windows 10 treatment with recent release of preview builds which is set to coincide with Windows 10 Anniversary update this August. In this release, Cortana is one of the major feature which will replace the “Hey Xbox” voice command, and work exactly like same, and enables few more things which are possible in Windows 10 as well.
However, there is a catch. Cortana is not available for all the countries, and only works in US as of now. So if you want to enable Cortana for Xbox One in countries where it is not available, do the following:
How to Enable Cortana on Xbox One?
Change language and Country:
- Open Settings by double tapping the Xbox button on your controller, and then press ‘A’ when you find the Cogwheel icon > All Settings.
- Now go to System > Language and Location > Change it to US for both.
- You will need to restart your console.
Enable Cortana from Settings:
- Open Settings by double tapping the Xbox button on your controller, and then press ‘A’ when you find the Cogwheel icon > All Settings.
- Next, navigate to System > Cortana Settings > Tap on ‘A’ on your controller.
- Look for a toggle which says “Cortana can give you suggestions, alters, and more.”, turn it on. When you do this, Xbox One will reboot, and Cortana will replace the legacy voice commands.
Stay warned that if you do this, it is possible that some of the things will not work on your console which could be in clash with your profile settings. However, i will still encourage you to use it, and see how it goes. At any moment you feel like disabling it, read ahead.
So How to Disable Cortana?
Yesterday, Xbox One Preview update rolled out this feature which allows you to use the default Xbox Command feature, by turning off “Hey Cortana”. Its very simple and straight forward, but also comes with few drawbacks.
- Open Settings by double tapping the Xbox button on your controller, and then press ‘A’ when you find the Cogwheel icon > All Settings.
- Next, navigate to System > Cortana Settings > Tap on ‘A’ on your controller.
This will open a Snap Window which will have all options for Cortana, and looks similar to Edge browser settings. Look for a toggle which says “Cortana can give you suggestions, alters, and more.”, turn it off. When you do this, Xbox One will reboot, and enable the legacy voice commands. Very Windowish!
When you disable Cortana, few things will not work. Here is the list:
- Headset voice control support will be disabled.
- Voice dictation will be disabled.
- Universal Windows apps voice features will no longer function.
