14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft continues its long-distance war with Google, this time with a new tool supposed to bring more Gmail users to its Outlook.com email platform.
The company announced that Outlook.com users are now allowed to import Gmail contacts in their accounts and even continue sending emails with the @gmail.com address.
It’s all possible via a new feature that enables everyone to connect Gmail accounts using OAuth to their Outlook.com accounts, with the whole process conducted automatically and in just a few seconds, depending on the number of contacts.
“This will import your Gmail emails into your Outlook.com inbox and, because you've connected both accounts, your Google contacts will automatically appear in Outlook.com. The structure of your inbox, including read/unread status of your emails, will be preserved. The new tool will even set up your Gmail address as a ‘send-only’ account so you can continue to send email from your @gmail.com address, right from Outlook.com, if you still want to,” Microsoft said.
“The import happens in the background, so you can continue using Outlook.com or even log out while it's happening. Once the import is complete, we'll send you an email to let you know we've finished. “
According to Microsoft, users can return to their Gmail accounts at any time, as all emails will still be there. And still, the company bets that “you’ll love Outlook.com,” so you’d have no reason to return.
Microsoft used the results of a study conducted by research firm Ipsos to reveal that 1 in 4 consumers would switch from one email platform to another if it were easier.
At the same time, the research showed that advanced spam filters are a top priority for 69 percent of the users, while 58 percent of the respondents wanted an ad-free experience while sending and receiving emails.