Microsoft Announces Major Updates for Outlook on Apple’s platforms

Just ahead of its Ignite conference, Microsoft has announced major updates to its Outlook mobile app on Apple’s mobile devices.

“Microsoft understands that people have choices when it comes to their preferred apps as well as the devices they carry in their pocket,” Microsoft’s Eugenie Burrage writes in a new post to the firm’s TechCommunity site. “Our goal is for Outlook to be your email and calendar app of choice on your Apple mobile devices. As your trusted organizer, to help balance your time and easily stay on top of what matters, Outlook for iOS is uniquely crafted to make you feel at home on your device of choice.”

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

On iOS, Microsoft will soon release an update to Outlook that provides options related to the system’s Do Not Disturb feature.

“You will be able to choose to silence your email notifications when you need to, such as until tomorrow, or on a scheduled basis, such as evenings or weekends,” Burrage notes. “This way you can focus on things other than what’s arriving in your inbox.” (This functionality is already available in Outlook for Android.)

Outlook users on iOS will also soon be able to customize their work hours and work days to accommodate our shifting schedules.

On iPadOS, the version of iOS tailored to iPads, Microsoft will enhance Outlook to support Split View “in the coming weeks.” This will allow iPad-using customers to open multiple emails at the same time or see their email message list and calendar side-by-side.

Microsoft will also support new multitasking features in iPadOS, like drag and drop. “For example, with a browser open next to an email you’re composing, you will be able to copy text and links by dragging and dropping it into the message with your pen or finger,” Burrage says.

On Apple Watch, Outlook users can already add Outlook complications to their chosen watch face. Now, you can configure which Outlook-based notifications appear on Apple Watch too, plus see your latest unread emails, view your schedule, and dictate quick reminders.

Finally, Microsoft is also upping its game on Siri, as it now supports Siri Shortcuts for Outlook.

“You can record personalized shortcuts such as ‘what’s my next meeting’ or ‘I’m running late’,” Burrage explains. “Simply ask Siri and you can stay on top of what matters without opening the Outlook app.  [You can] get up to date or take action from the lock screen even if your device screen is off.”

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Conversation 12 comments

  • yoshi

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 11:25 am

    <p>I think you meant – <strong>Microsoft</strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> has announced major updates to its Outlook mobile app</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">;)</span></p>

  • thejoefin

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 11:50 am

    <p>I still want the ability to have custom unified inboxes. One for personal accounts and one for work accounts. Sadly this is something which was a part of the Windows 10 Mail and Calendar app for years now.</p>

  • webguynj

    31 October, 2019 - 11:54 am

    <p>Anyone know when the Skype options in Outlook for iOS will be updated to support MS Teams?</p>

  • slbailey1

    31 October, 2019 - 11:59 am

    <p>The way I understand it, is that the iOS version of Outlook has more features and is more polished than the Android version. </p><p><br></p><p>I noticed that the picture in the article looks like it has a hinge down the middle of the screen. </p><p><br></p><p>I think by the time the Surface Duo is released Outlook for Android will have all the features as Outlook for iOS and just as polished. </p>

    • c_j_martinez

      Premium Member
      31 October, 2019 - 12:11 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#485157">In reply to slbailey1:</a></em></blockquote><p>What looks as a hinge in the picture is the iPadOS Split Screen divider. </p>

  • will

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 1:11 pm

    <p>There is also a new UI for Outlook on macOS, curious why it was not mentioned in the article. </p><p><br></p><p>Edit: It was mentioned at the bottom just missed it :)</p>

  • rossdelliott

    Premium Member
    31 October, 2019 - 3:02 pm

    <p>This probably still means that Outlook mobile will still not be able to open up meeting invites sent from Outlook desktop…</p>

    • webguynj

      31 October, 2019 - 3:14 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#485270">In reply to rossdelliott:</a></em></blockquote><p>I have had no issues with this at all. Outlook Meeting invites, skype for business, they all just work – even free/busy time and scheduling new meetings using Skype for Business are seemless. </p>

    • davidlbangs

      Premium Member
      01 November, 2019 - 2:50 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#485270"><em>In reply to rossdelliott:</em></a><em> I can open and confirm all meeting invites in iOS Outlook</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • cayo

    31 October, 2019 - 4:00 pm

    <p>All I want is to be able to pick the folders I want to show on the phone. Not just Inbox, and not to be forced to manually select the folders I want to see one by one. This worked great on Blackberry, long time ago… </p>

  • davidlbangs

    Premium Member
    01 November, 2019 - 2:44 pm

    <p>Outlook on Windows inspired me to create deep nested folders to keep track of everything. But the iPhone app keeps these always expanded making it impossible to scroll down and find what I want. I will consider the iPhone app as fake Outlook until it collapses folders and lets me navigate them well. </p><p><br></p><p>In addition, fake Outlook lacks support for tasks and notes. The separate To Do app would help if it would work with tasks from email accounts in addition to the one paying the Office 365 subscription. </p>

  • brothernod

    Premium Member
    03 November, 2019 - 7:14 pm

    <p>The current phone version seems to fall far behind other iOS calendars, been seriously considering moving on recently. In particular things like not being able to set multiple reminders on an appointment and the location suggestions doing a horrible job surfacing stuff nearby, have really got me looking at something else, which is a bummer when i was telling everyone to switch to Outlook a few years ago…</p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC