Installing & Using Outlook App on iPhone

[fairmarketvalue]

I use Outlook 365 on my PC and would like to try the Outlook IOS app on my iPhone 6 Plus running IOS 12.4. The newest version of the app (version 3.15.0) seems to have addressed a lot of the criticisms of earlier versions. However, as a noobie, I need to understand the relationship between the Outlook app's mail and calendar functions, and the native Mail and Calendar apps.

For example, is it necessary (or a good idea) to delete the Mail and Calendar apps before installing Outlook? If I delete Mail and Calendar, do I need to make any changes in the "Accounts" section of the IOS Passwords & Accounts settings to use Outlook, or will Outlook take care of everything when I install it? Once I install Outlook, do I need to re-add my email accounts within the app? I'm assuming these same considerations apply to other third party email apps, but is that correct? Finally, if I decide to revert to the native Mail and Calendar apps, can I do so by just reinstalling them and deleting Outlook?

Many thanks for any help!

 

[Just_Me_D]

...

For example, is it necessary (or a good idea) to delete the Mail and Calendar apps before installing Outlook?

No, it is not necessary.

If I delete Mail and Calendar, do I need to make any changes in the "Accounts" section of the IOS Passwords & Accounts settings to use Outlook, or will Outlook take care of everything when I install it?

You will be asked to sign in to Outlook.

Once I install Outlook, do I need to re-add my email accounts within the app? I'm assuming these same considerations apply to other third party email apps, but is that correct?

If you’re planning to use multiple email accounts with the Outlook app, you will need to add them within the Outlook app. The process is straightforward.

Finally, if I decide to revert to the native Mail and Calendar apps, can I do so by just reinstalling them and deleting Outlook?

Many thanks for any help!

If your outlook account is already configured with the native Mail and Calendar apps, why don’t you just deactivate those items as well as place both apps in a folder instead of deleting them. If you decide you want to use them in lieu of Outlook, all you have to do is remove them from the folder and then reactivate them.

 

[Lee_Bo]

There's really no need to delete the native mail app. If you use Outlook, your account will be set up inside the Outlook app and not in the phone settings.

 

[imwjl]

Good advice given.

The advice I give my users is especially good if you have an enterprise tier and not just Office 365. A license tier where you have email, Teams, Planner etc.... I suggest a folder group of the Microsoft apps.

I still like the native mail client to service a few accounts and use it but the Office mobile apps and whole environment are really good. I'm really surprised but then again not to know some acquaintances at our local Apple Store use Outlook.

If the Office 365 apps are really important to you and same for security you might want to consider the Authenticator app.

An aging phone might have storage issues but that model seems to have all the CPU power and RAM to run these apps well. We have dozens of older iPads and iPhones of that vintage.

 

[fairmarketvalue]

Thanks for all of the quick help. As I understand it, I can install and run the Outlook app essentially in parallel with the native Mail and Calendar apps. I have configured Outlook with an IMAP account with Spectrum, a Gmail account and my iCloud account. With my iCloud account enabled, I can use my iCloud calendar within Outlook rather that launching my Calendar app.

I'm just confused on one point. Just_Me_D, you said, "If your outlook account is already configured with the native Mail and Calendar apps, why don’t you just deactivate those items as well as place both apps in a folder instead of deleting them. If you decide you want to use them in lieu of Outlook, all you have to do is remove them from the folder and then reactivate them." Could you clarify what you mean by deactivating and then reactivating the native apps? Is there a setting that would allow me to do this (either in the app itself or in the system settings)?

This forum is a great resource, and I thank you all again!

 

[metllicamilitia]

Thanks for all of the quick help. As I understand it, I can install and run the Outlook app essentially in parallel with the native Mail and Calendar apps. I have configured Outlook with an IMAP account with Spectrum, a Gmail account and my iCloud account. With my iCloud account enabled, I can use my iCloud calendar within Outlook rather that launching my Calendar app.

I'm just confused on one point. Just_Me_D, you said, "If your outlook account is already configured with the native Mail and Calendar apps, why don’t you just deactivate those items as well as place both apps in a folder instead of deleting them. If you decide you want to use them in lieu of Outlook, all you have to do is remove them from the folder and then reactivate them." Could you clarify what you mean by deactivating and then reactivating the native apps? Is there a setting that would allow me to do this (either in the app itself or in the system settings)?

This forum is a great resource, and I thank you all again!

Just the mail accounts and such. If you open Settings, then open Mail and Accounts, you can select by account what you want to sync. This only affects native apps. So if you toggle off email, you won’t receive those emails to the native Mail app.

 

[fairmarketvalue]

Got it. Thanks very much.

 

[fatclue_98]

Please be aware that contacts and calendar from within the Outlook app do NOT sync with the native clients onboard. This has been an irritating omission on Microsoft’s part since they bought Accompli (the company who made the app). It’s the same on Android so don’t think it’s an Apple thing.

 

[imwjl]

Please be aware that contacts and calendar from within the Outlook app do NOT sync with the native clients onboard. This has been an irritating omission on Microsoft’s part since they bought Accompli (the company who made the app). It’s the same on Android so don’t think it’s an Apple thing.

I'm not understanding that without a better explanation. Maybe you mean sync with the server-side platforms vs local data? The Outlook mobile syncs to other server-side platforms just like Apple's native apps do. Even if you use Apple's native apps local data, iCloud, Google's cloud or Microsoft's cloud are different platforms.

 

[Lee_Bo]

Please be aware that contacts and calendar from within the Outlook app do NOT sync with the native clients onboard. This has been an irritating omission on Microsoft’s part since they bought Accompli (the company who made the app). It’s the same on Android so don’t think it’s an Apple thing.

I don't think it's an omission, and I personally like that it doesn't sync. That way I can keep all work related stuff in Outlook and personal on the phone and they don't mix.

 

[fatclue_98]

I'm not understanding that without a better explanation. Maybe you mean sync with the server-side platforms vs local data? The Outlook mobile syncs to other server-side platforms just like Apple's native apps do. Even if you use Apple's native apps local data, iCloud, Google's cloud or Microsoft's cloud are different platforms.

No, what I meant was that any calendar event, or even contacts, that you create within the Outlook app will not populate in the Apple Mail or Contacts apps. Outlook is its own little world, for better or worse.

 

[fatclue_98]

I don't think it's an omission, and I personally like that it doesn't sync. That way I can keep all work related stuff in Outlook and personal on the phone and they don't mix.

Yeah, I get what you’re saying and I can see where those who use their phone for work and play would want that isolation. I use mine for both as well but I’m all about simplicity. I sorely wish the BlackBerry Hub was someday available on iOS. But knowing Apple they’d probably cripple the bejeezus out of it.

 

[imwjl]

No, what I meant was that any calendar event, or even contacts, that you create within the Outlook app will not populate in the Apple Mail or Contacts apps. Outlook is its own little world, for better or worse.

No, the two mail clients work much the same and pretty much identical when you use the same server (cloud) platforms.

 

[imwjl]

Yeah, I get what you’re saying and I can see where those who use their phone for work and play would want that isolation. I use mine for both as well but I’m all about simplicity. I sorely wish the BlackBerry Hub was someday available on iOS. But knowing Apple they’d probably cripple the bejeezus out of it.

Hope for a Blackberry server rebirth is tipping at windmills.

Look at Microsoft and Google cloud market share. Apple crippling anything to work with that means not selling phones.

 

[fatclue_98]

Hope for a Blackberry server rebirth is tipping at windmills.

Look at Microsoft and Google cloud market share. Apple crippling anything to work with that means not selling phones.

You obviously haven’t kept up with the goings on in Waterloo. BlackBerry Hub has been on Android for 5 years now. It’s enjoying good action in the Play Store and BlackBerry has been able to monetize it quite well.

 

[imwjl]

You obviously haven’t kept up with the goings on in Waterloo. BlackBerry Hub has been on Android for 5 years now. It’s enjoying good action in the Play Store and BlackBerry has been able to monetize it quite well.

I do follow these things in two ways - enterprise IT admin and an investor. While not dead considering the company got rather close to 0% market share, this is nothing like the cloud and client market share Apple, Google, & Microsoft have. When it comes to messaging, calendars and contacts nothing comes close to the Office 365, Azure, G Suite, personal Google and iCloud market share.

Within messaging and collaboration, chat-based is beyond a new trend and there Teams & Slack dominate with Google working hard to get in the same league. Many use Facebook's products too. Blackberry doesn't have anything in major markets in the same league.

You are correct to say Blackberry isn't dead as some think but might not realize the market share the main players have by comparison. The market share is why an iPhone and Android phone are ready for Google & Microsoft out of the box. I was a Blackberry administrator in its day but now you would have to call the iPhone the enterprise phone if you wish to compare.