Microsoft has started rolling out Outlook Lite in select countries. You can download the app for free from the Google Play Store.
The company officials announced in early July that they were preparing a smaller, faster Outlook Lite app for low-end Android gadgets.
In a blog, Microsoft said that they company wants to empower more individuals, schools, universities, and small businesses through a solution for their "lightweight mobile devices."
Thus, with the new Outlook Lite, users of low-end Android gadgets will be able to enjoy the features of Microsoft Outlook.
Outlook collapses when opening and reading emails with tables, and comparable emails cause Word to stop.
What Does the New Outlook Lite Offer?
Users with low-end Android devices will be able to use Outlook Lite seamlessly as the app already includes access to emails, calendar, and contacts but its only 5 MB in download size.
According to ZDNet, the app is optimized to run fast on all Android devices, even those with only 1 GB of RAM. The app will also utilize less battery power than regular Outlook.
Moreover, the app supports Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Exchange Online accounts.
According to officials, Microsoft intends to add support for third-party accounts and multiple accounts "in the future."
However, one of the caveats is the app's lack of support for Android Work Profile and Mobile Application Management (MAM) for work accounts.
With this, the company is recommending that business users who are using these features should keep on using the existing mobile Outlook client for Android instead of switching to the Lite version.
ZDNet reported that as of August 1, the app can be accessed only in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela.
Microsoft said they are still thinking about providing support for other countries in the future.
Read Also: Microsoft Says Emails with Tables Cause Outlook, Word to Stop Responding
Outlook Lite Targets Low-end Android Devices
In July, Microsoft made an announcement that soon a smaller and better performing Outlook Lite app will be coming to Android devices.
Based on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, the new mobile app for Android is an addition to an already existing Outlook mobile app available for the devices.
According to an iTech Post report, Outlook Lite app was first mentioned in the roadmap on June 30, with the entry saying that Microsoft will make it available worldwide in July 2022. But the company roll it out on August 1 instead.
The new app was described as "an Android app that brings the main benefits of Outlook in a smaller app size with fast performance for low-end devices on any network," according to iTech Post.
Back in July, Microsoft did not provide details regarding the "main benefits" of Outlook Lite. Likewise, the company did not explain why a lighter version of Outlook is necessary since most android handsets cannot be considered as underpowered.
But, in a statement of the company, it stated that there are still a wide range of devices that "do not have all the capabilities required to get the best Outlook experience" on their smartphone.
This is primarily the reason why Microsoft decided to create Outlook Lite - to bring the Outlook features to low-end Android devices.
Related Article: Microsoft: Outlook Lite Will Soon be Available for Android Devices
