14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Outlook email client is celebrating its second anniversary, so the company wants to do it in style and today is announcing a new feature that would extend the functionality of the app even further.
Outlook is getting support for add-ins, which enable users to perform an additional series of tasks in their inbox, including attaching GIFs, translating text, or collaborating with note apps.
iPhone users are the first to receive add-ins in Outlook, as the iOS version has already been updated with this feature, while Android users will get it later this year.
The first add-ins available in Outlook include Evernote, GIPHY, Nimble, Trello and Smartsheet, while Microsoft is also adding its own, such as Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Translator. Many more will follow, the firm promises, probably by the time this feature makes its debut on Android.
To enable add-ins, all you have to do is launch Outlook on iOS and go to Settings > Add-ins, and you can simply tap the plus sign next to each item to enable it. Once you do that, you can access functionality provided by add-ins by just tapping on the new icon that’s included in email headers.
Help needed from developers
Obviously, while add-ins come in handy for Outlook users, Microsoft also needs support from developers to create their own apps for the email client, so the company is calling for devs to “make your apps a part of Outlook mobile,” explaining that the firm is aiming at “making Outlook an open platform.”
“Because Outlook add-ins are built using standard HTML and JavaScript, they run on Outlook experiences across phones, tablets, desktops, and the web with the same code - except for minor modifications to fit the mobile form factor,” Microsoft says.
In addition to iOS and Android, add-ins are already available to Outlook users on Windows, but also to insiders on Mac and on the web. Microsoft wants to bring all clients in sync and have the same features available everywhere, so the Android version of add-ins should be announced very soon.