British and Chinese users of Windows Phone-based handsets will soon receive much-awaited digital assistant Cortana - Microsoft's answer to Siri, the software giant has confirmed.

Microsoft's corporate operating systems vice-president Joe Belfiore announced on Wednesday in Beijing that the voice-recognizing app will be rolled out to British and Chinese users as part of an update to Windows Phone 8.1, which will be rolled out to developers next week and to customers in the coming months.

In China, Cortana will be called 'Xiao Na'. It will provide locally relevant information, such as air quality reports, weather updates and information on local television shows and celebrities, in Mandarin.

In the U.K., users of Windows Phone-based handsets will receive a different version of the app that will have a British accent. It will also be up to date regarding local matters, including English Premier League soccer.

The update will also support a better screen resolution for lower-end phones, add support for so-called 'smart covers,' and add ability to use two SIM cards. In addition, it will add support for faster charging and enhances support for various Bluetooth accessories like fitness-tracking wristbands.

Nokia currently accounts for most of the Windows Phone shipments, but it will change soon as Microsoft has signed up fourteen new manufacturing partners in the past six months, including Samsung, HTC and ZTE.

Australian, Canadian and Indian users of Windows Phone-based handsets will also be allowed to use a version of the voice-recognizing app, but the Redmond, Washington-based tech giant has declared that it would be an earlier test mode.