Microsoft has been testing deeper Gmail and Google Calendar integrations in Outlook on the web for months, and part of that is arriving for Outlook business users today. Outlook on the web users will be able to add their personal Outlook.com or Google Calendar accounts to an Outlook work account so that you see a better view of your availability when scheduling work appointments.
This new feature is rolling out now to all Microsoft 365 users with a work account, but there’s no news on when Outlook.com users will be able to add Gmail and Google Calendar accounts. Microsoft has been testing this functionality for months now, with it briefly appearing in some Outlook.com accounts.
Alongside the Google Calendar integration, Outlook on the web is also getting some useful updates. You’ll now be able to schedule when emails are delivered and get suggested replies to emails in Outlook on the web and Outlook mobile. Microsoft is also planning to add suggestions to Outlook mobile for availability and meeting scheduling to let people know when you’re free.
Microsoft is also improving calendar management in Outlook on the web so you can directly triage your calendar within the inbox instead of having to switch between the Outlook inbox and calendar sections. While Teams is directly integrated with Outlook, Microsoft is also adding a one tap button for Zoom and Webex meetings in Outlook mobile. The Cortana “Play my emails” feature is also finally arriving on Android, following its release on iOS last year.
All of the improvements are designed to help make Outlook a little easier to use now that a lot of people are working remotely and scheduling even more meetings on a daily basis.
