14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has been branching out to other mobile platforms by offering some of its most popular applications on Android (and iOS). It’s the case of the Outlook.com email service. But in January of this year, the company unleashed a redesigned version of Outlook for both iOS and Android, while still keeping the older one up and running.
Now, Microsoft has decided to do some maintenance, so it has started sending out emails to users of the app, alerting them of the incoming changes. As you’d expect, Redmond has no plans to sustain two separate versions indefinitely, so it is alerting Outlook fans that, starting July 31, support for the older Outlook.com for Android app will be terminated (as seen at Neo Win).
As for the newer Outlook for Android, the application is only compatible with devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or above, so if you’re still holding on to a device that is running something more outdated, then you’ll have to kiss Outlook goodbye. Or just upgrade to a device running a more recent operating system.
But until that happens, Microsoft says that “You can continue to receive your email on your device’s browser by navigating to www.outlook.com. You can also add your @outlook address to your device’s pre-installed email app.”
The new Outlook app is not compatible with older Android devices
Sure, this might sound a bit frustrating for users of older devices, but luckily you’re still going to be able to check your email whenever you need to.
On the other hand, there aren’t all that many people who are using devices running on OS versions lower than Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
According to the stats provided by Google itself, only 5.8% of Android users are using versions below Ice Cream Sandwich, which isn’t a big percentage.
If you own a device that’s more up to date with software updates, Microsoft suggests you delete the older Outlook.com application and just head on to the Google Play store and download the fresher Outlook for Android version.
The application is optimized for Android smartphones, as well as tablets, and provides users with a unified view of email, calendar, contacts and attachments.
