Last month, Microsoft confirmed that Windows Phone 8.1 voice assistant Cortana would only be available in the United States when the final version of the platform got released in the summer.

However, the Redmond-based company promised that as soon as the feature was out of beta, it would be available in additional countries, like the UK and China.

These will be among the first countries to get Cortana after United States, though further details on when exactly this will happen are still unknown.

According to Liveside.net, Microsoft is already preparing for Cortana’s launch in China, which is why it has started to push related content to users in the Mainland.

While Cortana is not yet available in China, there are ways in which that one can make it work even if the device is not located in the United States. However, some features in Windows Phone 8.1 may stop working when you change your location.

Windows Phone 8.1 users in China who are now checking out Cortana’s limited features will be able to access a new set of options and capabilities, especially designed for their country.

Here are some of these China-related new features that Microsoft thought would be useful for Cortana users in the Mainland:

- Daily Routine: Beijing driving curbs schedule. - Celebrity: celebrities news and social activities which is provided by Bing Score, a rank service developed by Bing China. - China Watch: public holidays schedule, Bing Dictionary “Word of the Day” and the Beijing Movie Festival schedule. - Lottery: lottery drawing date and results. - Movies and TV: top movies and TV in some categories from Youku. - Weather: temperature in Celsius and air pollution index.

Obviously, none of these features are available in Chinese, as Cortana is only available in English for the moment. However, it’s nice that Microsoft has already started to add new content for other Windows Phone 8.1 users than those located in the United States.

We can safely assume that the same thing is happening with Cortana-related content in the UK, where the digital assistant will be launched soon after the feature goes out of beta.

While there’s no ETA for the stable version of Cortana, word is that it might not get out of beta along with the Windows Phone 8.1 release for the general public. However, we’re certain that the complete version of Cortana will be launched by the end of the year. Stay tuned for more updates on the matter.