Microsoft today announced a significant refresh of its Outlook mobile email app for Android and iOS devices. Most of the changes center on making the app easier to use. For example, Outlook for iOS more clearly calls out event invitations, and makes flags and attachments easier to spot when scrolling through the inbox. The mail composition screen can now add attachments with one tap. Outlook gains several new features in the calendar portion of the app, such as a more visible "today" button that follows through the calendar as users scroll into the future. The full month view is more easily opened through the day picker tool, and events now list core elements (date, time, location) at the top. Outlook for Android adopts Material Design in a big way, giving the app a feel more native to that of Google's mobile operating system. The email app has a redesigned header, message list, and composition tool that rely on elements of Material Design. The app now supports contact images, and icons are more prominent to help users locate unread or flagged emails. Similar to the iPhone app, the calendar portion of Outlook for Android gains new event cards that prioritize the key information. Many of these changes have been brought over from the Sunrise application, which Microsoft purchased earlier this year. Microsoft said it will continue to add more elements from Sunrise to Outlook over time, but indicated that Sunrise has entered its twilight phase. The app will be retired at some point down the road. The new Microsoft Outlook for iOS is available today, and the Android version will follow in early November.


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