14 DAY TRIAL // The next big feature that Microsoft is working on for the mobile version of its Outlook app is S/MIME, which will allow sending digitally signed and encrypted messages.
Michael Palermiti, Head of Product, Outlook for iOS, announced on Twitter that the feature has already reached the testing stage on Apple’s platform and users can give it a try if they are registered in the beta program on TestFlight.
“Signed, sealed and encrypted. The first phase of S/MIME support is now available in @Outlook for iOS TestFlight. Please try manual cert installation and send us feedback / report issues. Automated delivery is coming later to iOS,” he posted.
Palermiti also revealed that support for Android devices is supposed to come “very soon,” albeit no ETA has been provided at this point.
Feature now available in testing build
S/MIME support is already available in the desktop versions of the email client beginning with Outlook 2010, and it’s also offered as part of Outlook on the web and Exchange ActiveSync.
This features adds a new security layer to the emails you send and receive using two different services, namely digital signatures and message encryption.
“When you use S/MIME with an email message, it helps the people who receive that message to be certain that what they see in their inbox is the exact message that started with the sender,” Microsoft explains.
“It will also help people who receive messages to be certain that the message came from the specific sender and not from someone pretending to be the sender. To do this, S/MIME provides for cryptographic security services such as authentication, message integrity, and non-repudiation of origin (using digital signatures). It also helps enhance privacy and data security (using encryption) for electronic messaging.”
There is no ETA for the stable release of Outlook with S/MIME included, but if you’re enrolled in the TestFlight program, you can download version 3.29.0 to give it a try right away.