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Microsoft Outlook is getting new search and reply features on iOS and Android

Microsoft Outlook is getting new search and reply features on iOS and Android

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Microsoft is updating its Outlook mail app for Android and iOS today with some improvements to conversations and account switching. Email replies will now include a new inline reply interface that lets you tag co-workers or friends using the @ symbol, and allows you to see the whole conversation when you’re replying. Outlook will also automatically open a group conversation to the first unread message, which helps when you’re trying to read a long email chain.

Alongside the new replies improvements, Microsoft is also adding in better switching between email accounts in Outlook. Microsoft’s mobile Outlook app supports Gmail, Outlook, and Office 365 accounts, but switching between all three can be a pain unless you group them. Microsoft has now added a new account picker with an improved folder view that provides quicker access to folders like drafts.

The biggest change to Outlook for iOS and Android isn’t arriving in the update today, but Microsoft is teasing a revamped search interface. Search will be the center part of a new simplified tab bar at the bottom of the app, and it will surface frequent contacts and files automatically. The new search interface is powered by Microsoft’s Graph technology, which means it will even highlight upcoming flight information, package deliveries, and recent attachments.

The new accounts and conversations features are rolling out to Outlook.com and Gmail accounts on Outlook for iOS today, with support for Office 365 in the coming days. Microsoft’s new search experience should arrive in Outlook for iOS “soon,” and Microsoft says it’s “working hard right now to bring all three of these new experiences to Outlook for Android over the next couple of months.”