Outlook shared calendars now in Apple and Android devices.

Shared calendars are now supported in the Outlook apps for Apple and Android devices.

At this stage, you have to setup the calendar sharing from an Outlook web interface.  Both the sharing and acceptance of the share have to be done on the web site.

Only view and edit permissions are now available with delegated permissions coming soon.  Eventually the feature will be complete with sharing permissions controllable from the Outlook app.

Outlook for Windows has been able to share calendars for a long time.  The wider availability of Exchange Server technologies via Office 365 hosting and Outlook.com makes this feature more accessible.

Outlook for Mac is left out of all this fun … yet again.  Redmond promises that Mac users will be able to use shared calendars ‘soon’.

Shared calendars are traditionally used in companies so that staff can schedule meetings that suit all concerned.  However shared calendars can also be useful for families to keep track of each other’s free time.

News of this update to the apps came to the public in a curious way.  Microsoft had no press release (that’s so 20^th Century) not even a hyperventilated blog post.  Instead it was a post on the Microsoft User Voice forum by Julia Foran, a Microsoft Product Manager.