Microsoft Outlook Lite for Android now available in 14 countries - The Verge

Microsoft Outlook Lite for Android now available in 14 countries

Outlook Lite for Android.Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is releasing a new smaller and faster Outlook Lite app for Android this week. The lightweight version of Outlook is designed to have a smaller app size, faster performance, and lower battery usage, all while including the core features of the regular Microsoft Outlook mobile app.

Outlook Lite is around 5MB in download size, and Microsoft says it “uses extremely low storage on your phone.” It has been optimized to run quickly on all Android devices and even ones with just 1GB of RAM. As it’s a little more lightweight, it uses fewer phone resources and should save on battery usage. Most importantly, it’s designed to work well across all mobile networks, including 2G and 3G ones that are still in use in many countries worldwide.

Microsoft is making Outlook Lite available in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela. Outlook Lite will support Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live, MSN, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Exchange Online accounts.

Outlook Lite supports all of the main Outlook features.Image: Microsoft

Meta was one of the first big tech companies to create a slimmed-down version of its original Facebook Android app. Facebook Lite appeared in 2015 as just a 1MB app, aimed directly at developing markets. Google followed with its line of “Go” lightweight Android apps, including Gmail Go in 2018.

Microsoft says it’s introducing Outlook Lite to make its mobile email app “more accessible to users who are on lightweight mobile devices across the world,” according to Pradeep Elavarasan, senior product manager at Microsoft.

Microsoft also continues to test a new Outlook for Windows app. The new app is in testing and is based on Outlook on the web. It will eventually replace the Outlook for Windows app in the years ahead.