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Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it will be bringing a significant update. It will be adding a third-party app support to its email app, Microsoft Outlook.
Microsoft Outlook is part of the Office suite. It is the company’s personal information manager service. According to reports, it is mostly used as an email application. Nonetheless, the service also includes other features.
For examples, it has a task manager and calendar function. And also a contact manager one. It also works as a sort of journal. Or is useful in note taking. It can also be used to browse the web.
And now, its utilization will see a further variation. Previously, Microsoft Outlook could be used as a stand-alone app. Or in conjunction with other Microsoft services. For example, the Exchange Server or the Share Point Server. But now, Microsoft Outlook will work with third-party apps. One outside of the Microsoft services family.
An announcement on the matter was released on February 02. It was posted on the official company blog. It in, Microsoft announced the first line of supported apps.
This will include Evernote, Spreadsheet, and Giphy. It will also link Nimble and Trello. These apps will be supported by the Microsoft Outlook mobile version. But at least for the moment, only the iOS one. Android support should follow sometimes soon.
Microsoft Outlook will also work with the Microsoft Translator and Dynamics 365. This will become available in the same update. And they will be accessible as add-ins. Previously, these were only available for the Web version.
The company already offered an extend developer support for add-ins. This is available for the Mac and Windows web versions. Microsoft Outlook add-ins can be developed by using standard JavaScript and HTML. Developers can extend their services right from within the app.
Microsoft Outlook for iOS add-ins can be accessed whilst reading your emails. They will have their own icon. This will be placed beside the “view more” option. Through the add-in, the service should offer a higher user experience.
For example, the Translator add-in will allow the user to change the email language. They will be able to read their email in their desired language. And the Giphy add-in can account for more interactive replies.
The Dynamics 365 should “bring together business applications”. These will be coupled with the Microsoft platform. As such, it could help businesses grow, evolve, or transform. They could do so as they will have access to these united tools.
The Trello add-in should also be a welcome feature. It will help turn the emails into “actionable items”. Users will be able to keep track of their projects through the app. They will also be to ensure that they’ll never miss an important email.
Users will be able to associate incoming mail with existing boards. They can do so by clicking the “Add card” to Trello action.
The new Microsoft Outlook for iOS should advantage users and developers alike. Users should come to benefit from the added productivity features. They could potentially make quite an impact on the email service.
And developers would also have a higher access. They could utilize this added support. And come to offer new options to their users.
It remains to be seen how this new Microsoft Outlook feature will evolve.
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