Microsoft Outlook Gets Calendaring, Scheduling Features on Android and iOS

Microsoft is bringing several calendaring and scheduling features to its email client Outlook on Android and iOS platforms, it said, as the company puts efforts to better compete with Google's Gmail and Inbox, and Apple's Mail apps.

The first addition is "synced shared calendars," which will enable users to view and edit shared Office 365 or Outlook.com calendars. Users will also be able to share the calendars they have created with others and accepting sharing invitations can be easily handled from the mobile app as well.

Microsoft says it is upgrading the existing shared calendars so that they start syncing with Outlook. Some users might not see this option on their phone just yet, in which case, Microsoft suggests them to wait a little. Alternatively, one can re-accept the sharing invitation from Outlook on iOS or Android to avail the new feature.

The Redmond-headquartered company is also making it easier for people to schedule other's calendars. A user can now manage their delegates, accept a delegation request and assume full control over viewing and editing rights of delegated calendar from the Outlook on their Android phone or iPhone, the company said. Microsoft says it has taken extra measures to ensure that a user knows whether the meeting invitations or responses they are receiving are meant for them or their manager's calendar.

Microsoft is also upgrading the event management feature, adding the ability to add and respond to events with different cadences (daily, weekly, monthly etc). It is also easier to keep a tab on a co-worker's availability when scheduling meetings.

In addition to the aforementioned new features, Microsoft is also adding support for Meetup, a new Calendar app in Outlook. Microsoft already supports Facebook and Evernote in Outlook on mobile platforms.