Microsoft is reportedly dropping support for its old Outlook app on Android from July 31st. The older app has already been made unavailable on Google Play, and Microsoft will henceforth, only support the new version of the app, which is only available for devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and newer flavors of Android. The Redmond, WA-based company has already started sending e-mails to its users, informing them of its stand, and suggesting they update their app to the newer version. While Microsoft has chosen to end its commitment to the old app and focus all its attention to the newer “Outlook for Android” app, it presents a predicament for tens of millions of users still stuck on Honeycomb, Gingerbread, Froyo or earlier versions of Google’s operating system. While in percentage terms their number might be only 6% of the total Android user base, the sheer volume of users that Android has accumulated over the years, means that even 6% amounts to a pretty large number in absolute terms.
Microsoft of course, has some advice for users who have not been fortunate enough to have had their devices updated to newer versions of Android. The company helpfully informs that Outlook users will still be able to access the service through the native e-mail app pre-installed on their device, or through its website, outlook.com. Of course, strictly speaking, mails can obviously be accessed through the website with just about any compatible browser, although it might not be the most pragmatic advice for people on older devices with screens of around 4-inches or lower.
The app that Microsoft will now singularly patronize, was rolled out by the company just last January on both Android and iOS. With Microsoft ditching support for the older app, if you find yourself bereft on an Outlook app on your device, looks like you’ll have to choose one of the workarounds suggested by the company, or install a third-party mail-client compatible with older Android versions and add your Outlook mail address, thereby mitigating the situation you find yourself in. So if you are using a comparatively newer version of Android, and haven’t yet got the newer version of the app because of one reason or another, looks like time has come to pull the trigger.