Microsoft is ready to embrace Gmail, Google Drive and Google Calendar in its Outlook web mail client, according to one lucky Twitter user.
It looks as though Microsoft has been working on expanding its Outlook platform by integrating some of Google’s most popular web apps. It seems that the company has not only added this feature but has also begun rolling out the changes to test with users.
Twitter user Florian B spotted the update last night. B took a screenshot of a pop up on his Outlook account, inviting him to add his Google Mail and Calendar to Outlook to manage everything in one place.
According to The Verge, linking your Google Account to your Outlook account will result in your Gmail inbox, Google Drive docs and Google Calendar plans all to be displayed on the Outlook.com website. This feature has been available on the Outlook app for a while now but this is the first we’ve heard of it being accessible on desktop.
Unfortunately, users aren’t currently able to add more than one Google account and moving from an Outlook account to a Gmail account and back will cause the entire page to refresh each time.
The Gmail-Outlook integration is a good start but it still feels early. You cna't easily move from one to the other, it reload the WHOLE page from scratch each time. pic.twitter.com/H3lWrZdh6S
— Florian B (@flobo09) November 20, 2019
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That said the two icons on the sidebar look handy and – if Microsoft manages to make the process more seamless following the test – switching between the two could be really handy by the time the full update rolls out.
While the update won’t necessarily have a use for everyone, it should make scrolling through your inbox a much quicker process for users with more than one email account. Florian B himself noted that the feature was ideal for him.
“It’s great”, said B. “I can use google drive and gmail from my job directly from Outlook without having to go through the google sites”.
Not everyone has the update yet, with several users having responded to B disappointed that they couldn’t find it. We’ll have to keep an eye out for a full roll out in the near future.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.