Microsoft is about to roll out of two new, highly sought-after features for Windows Phone 8.1.

According to sources, Microsoft is internally testing two new features that give its mobile platform a closer look and feel to that of Android and iOS.  The said features will be a notification center and a voice assistant – just like its two main rivals already have.

Sources familiar with the new features said that the notification center is accessible by swiping down from the top of the screen.  A short pull will bring up the quick settings, while pulling longer will bring out the notification center.

As for the voice assistant, Microsoft has been quietly testing something called “Cortana”, its own version of Apple’s Siri. Cortana will apparently be replacing Bing search on Windows Phone, which will allow users to interact with the phone using voice and text input. Cortana is said to function in the same manner as Google Now and Siri, allowing for conversational interaction, the ability to learn location context and data from the phone, and automatically remind users of approaching meetings and other appointments.

Aside from these two features, Microsoft is also working on separating the volume control from media playback and ringtone volume, adding Smart Search results, plus VPN support for the enterprise.  Microsoft is also planning to regularly update the video and music parts of Windows Phone and separate the built-in music hub.  Finally, it’ll also begin shipping separate apps of Xbox Music and Xbox Video for Windows Phone 8.1.