The next Windows 10 update will make Cortana more helpful than ever

The next major version of Windows 10, known internally as Redstone 4, is likely to ring in major improvements to how Cortana works based on seemingly simple changes.

Brought to bear through the most recent ‘Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17127,’ these changes allow you to create a Cortana profile from which the digital assistant can mine information to provide you updates without even asking. Detailed in a new Windows Insider Blog post, this profile is accessible and editable through the Notebook of Cortana, within the Start menu.

This profile option allows you to set your favorite locations, generally your home(s) and place(s) of work. From there, Cortana will update you regularly regarding the weather and traffic conditions in those locations, generally in reference to your daily commute.

Microsoft promises that this premise will soon expand beyond locations to include your interests, accounts family members and more. Frankly, this might be one of the most exciting developments regarding Cortana yet, allowing it to be helpful without even having to shout ‘Hey, Cortana.’

On top of this, Microsoft has also added miniature training exercises regarding Cortana’s most popular Skills, like News, Sports and Weather – tips for questions you can ask Cortana within a given category.

These changes, among other minor fixes, are available now to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring for either the RS4 (Redstone 4) or RS5 (the late-2018 Redstone 5 release) Windows Insider Preview builds.

As we draw closer to the inevitable release of Windows 10 Redstone 4, otherwise popularly known as the Spring Creators Update, these updates are only going to ramp up in frequency. That said, we shouldn’t be too far off now from an official release.