Reports today claim that Microsoft's voice assistant software is coming to both iOS and Android, with the hope that it will replace Apple's Siri and Google Now.

The Windows Phone voice recognition software and personal assistant algorithms are highly thought of in technology circles, but it as it is currently only available on Windows devices, it has a limited reach - certainly in comparison to its two major rivals.

Reuters claims that Microsoft will be bringing Cortana to both iPhone and Android devices through a standalone app, which will give the company a much wider potential user base.

In addition to the new applications for other platforms, Microsoft will also improve Cortana with the integration of new artificial intelligence technology it has been working on. Called Einstein, the AI tech will be better at recognising speech, and its search and machine learning abilities far outway those currently available through the existing version of the assistant software.

READ: Cortana vs Google Now vs Siri: Battle of the personal assistants

"We're defining the competitive landscape... of who can provide the most supportive services that make life easier, keep track of things, that complement human memory in a way that helps us get things done," said Eric Horvitz, managing director of Microsoft Research.

Microsoft has already announced that it will be bringing Cortana to desktop and laptop PCs and tablets through Windows 10. It might also be part of the Xbox One when the console also embraces the company's new operating system later this year.