14 DAY TRIAL // Google has recently overhauled Gmail with a plethora of new features, and now it’s Microsoft’s turn to release a major update for Outlook.
First and foremost, Outlook Calendar is being updated with bill pay reminders. Outlook automatically scans your emails for bills, and it creates a calendar event to display notifications on the due date. This feature will be available on Outlook.com.
Outlook for Windows will also offer suggested event locations and meeting rooms based on Bing and recently-used conference rooms. Furthermore, Outlook for iOS will analyze your location, the destination address, and traffic updates to let you know when it is time to leave.
Microsoft is adding new privacy options that will allow users of Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web to allow or prevent the forwarding of calendar invitations.
Multiple time zone support is coming to Outlook, while Outlook Mail for iOS and Android will get proxy support to connect to servers and receive emails. Additionally, the mobile clients will issue BCC warnings to let you know whenever you are replying to an email where you were blind copied.
More improvements on their way
Further improvements are coming to iOS and Android, including the possibility of syncing draft folders, Office Lens to capture and share details in an image, as well as options to mark contacts as favorite.
“Keeping your key contacts front and center in your mobile search experience, as well as on top of your message folders, helps you quickly identify the right people to help you get more done. You will also be able to identify favorite people from Outlook on your mobile device, just as you can today from the web, and these favorite people tags will remain consistent, so you can find them on the web or on the go,” Microsoft explains.
You’ll also be able to block external content in emails, such as embedded images, while dedicated options will finally enable you to respond quickly to messages with a special box at the bottom of the screen.
The quick reply feature is coming to Android in May, while Macs will receive it later this summer. Outlook for iOS already offers such capabilities.
