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3 min read

Redesigned navigation, conversations and search in Outlook for iOS and Android

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Editor’s Note 2/1/2018:
This post was updated to reflect that previously announced Search improvements and design changes coupled with an updated conversation experience are rolling out in Outlook for Android.

We’re launching exciting new changes to Outlook on iOS and Android. It’s the Outlook you know and love, with a redesigned conversation experience and the ability to quickly switch between accounts and browse folders. In addition, new intelligent search capabilities, powered by Microsoft Graph, are coming soon.

People leverage Outlook every day to stay on top of what’s important—whether they need to read and reply to a crucial conversation, navigate through their folders, or find a critical email. We’re humbled and driven by the stories and feedback we hear from people using the apps. These insights from across the globe, different industries and people from all walks of life drive us every day to make Outlook effortless for all these needs—so it’s even easier for you to communicate, collaborate, and manage your time while on the go.

Navigation—quickly switch between accounts and folders

Outlook works with all your accounts—from Office 365 to Outlook.com and Gmail. We’ve heard from many people that they wanted a quicker way to switch between accounts or browse folders.

As a result of your feedback, you will find the following updates that make navigating in Outlook effortless:

  • The account and folder menu has been beautifully redesigned to give you super-fast access to all your accounts, as well as key folders such as Inbox, Drafts, and Groups.
    • Pro tip—Press and hold on account avatar to pin the sidebar open!
  • Help and Settings buttons are easy to get to in the sidebar, making it even quicker to get in-app product support or give us feedback. While we hope you don’t ever need to contact our support team, we know we’re not perfect, and there are times you could use a helping hand. They’re always available and ready to help, all within the app!

Image showing side-by-side mobile devices with the before and after of how users switch between accounts and folders.

Outlook for iOS.

Side-by-side images of Android phones displaying Outlook for Android.

Outlook for Android.

Conversations—email that’s fast and interactive

The redesigned conversation experience makes it easy to stay on top of discussions, whether you’re talking to friends and family, classmates, colleagues, or with your groups.

Image showing side-by-side mobile devices with the before and after conversation experience.

Here’s a look at some of our recent updates on Outlook for iOS and Android that make catching up on what’s happening in email more effortless. Outlook shows more of your conversation at once and provides clearer separation between individual messages, making it simpler to catch up on your conversations.

  • When you tap on a conversation to read it, Outlook automatically opens to show the first unread message. You can pick up right where you left off without scrolling.
  • To reply or access other options, like Forward, simply tap the ellipsis for more actions.
  • On Outlook for iOS, you can also quickly reply to everyone by simply tapping the quick reply box and starting to type. When you’re done, just tap the send button to see your message added to the conversation. This means that you are able to see the rest of the conversation while you type your reply.

Image of a device illustrating how you can access additional conversation actions.

A more intelligent search, front and center

All too often, finding the information you need quickly can be a painful task. The new intelligent search, available in Outlook for iOS and Android, will help make it easier to find an item while on the go.

Changes will include:

  • Search will be front and center in the app’s simplified tab bar. No matter where you are, the new search will be a tap away. Our goal is to bring more proactive and contextual information to your fingertips without even needing to type in a search box.
  • People and Files will be seamlessly integrated as part of the search experience. There’s a section for People and Files—both with proactive suggestions.
  • When typing a name in the search box, it will instantly display suggestions from your most frequent contacts. Tapping on a person provides one-tap access to the new People card.

Image showing mobile device an example of how the new search capabilities will be integrated into the user interface.

The new intelligent search is powered by the Microsoft Graph and lights up immediately with the content from your top contacts, upcoming travel itineraries, package deliveries, recent attachments, and more.

Finding what you need while on the go will be effortless.

What’s next?

We’re working hard right now to bring the quick reply feature to Outlook for Android in the near future.

—The Outlook team

Editor’s note 1/10/2018 :
This post was updated to reflect that previously announced changes to email accounts and folder navigation are rolling out in Outlook for Android.

Editor’s note 10/9/2017:
This post was updated to reflect that previously announced search updates are now rolling out in Outlook for iOS.

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