Why Outlook Lite is better Outlook app
There’s a new (yet another) Outlook app now available. Outlook Lite is a better ‘scaled down’ version of the Outlook Mobile app. Officially it’s only available in certain countries but we had no trouble installing Outlook Lite, so maybe you can try it too.
Microsoft has deployed its full range of marketing buzzwords to sell Outlook Lite. It will ‘empower’ as a “solution” for “lightweight” mobile devices that don’t have all the “capabilities”.
In other words, it’s a leaner, more efficient version of the bloated Outlook mobile app which requires a powerful and expensive device to work properly.
Outlook Lite is designed to work properly on both cheaper and older devices but it’ll work on any supported Android smartphone.
And it runs very well, considerably faster than the full Outlook app. Outlook Lite has the advantage of no clutter from all the extras that Microsoft has lumbered into the main app.
Outlook Lite only works with Microsoft hosted mailboxes; Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Exchange Online accounts.
Support for Gmail, Yahoo and other mailboxes is promised for a future update, but there’s no timeframe given.
It includes email, calendar and contacts with icons at the bottom for each. Switching between the three panes is refreshingly quick.
The device only needs 1GB of memory (RAM) and takes up a mere 5MB for the app, plus whatever is needed to store mailbox data on the device.
According to Microsoft, Outlook Lite has low battery usage and works on all networks including 2G and 3G.
Who gets Outlook Lite – officially?
Outlook Lite is for Android devices only, available via Google Play.
No word on when or if there’ll be an Apple version.
Officially, Outlook Lite is available to users registered in: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela.
According to Microsoft there’s an ‘Early Access’ Outlook Lite for the other countries in Google Play Store. The company says they will review the possibility of making the app more widely available.
But that’s not the whole story …
We successfully installed Outlook Lite using a UK based Google Play account via the standard Google Play link. It’s not marked ‘Early Access’.
Another surprise, Outlook Lite can be installed on the same device as the Outlook mobile app.
Too many Microsoft Outlook’s – we explain them all
Deceptive ads now in Outlook mobile apps
Try the old Alt + X trick for Word and Outlook
New Outlook now available to all