Users can now set Microsoft Outlook, Edge as iOS 14 defaults

AppleInsider

Apple's newly released iOS 14 allows users to set third-party email apps or browsers as default options, and Microsoft has already added support.

Credit: Apple

The iOS 14 update, released on Wednesday, lets users set third-party apps as their default web browser or mail client. With support added on Apple's end, developers must also make their apps compatible with the feature.

Microsoft's Outlook email client supports the iOS 14 feature at launch. Users can now set Outlook as their default mail client by heading to system Settings, tapping Outlook, and selecting "default email app."

The same goes for Microsoft's Edge browser, which was updated earlier in the week to support the new iOS 14 feature.

Other popular email providers, such as Gmail, can not yet be added as a default client. Google Chrome, however, does support the option.

Not every mail and browser app will pass muster, as Apple has some guidelines for software that can be set as default alternatives. For example, apps need to meet performance benchmarks and ensure that certain mail scheme specifications are met.

That said, the rules are fairly flexible. Mail apps can include user-set mail screening parameters, for example, a feature offered by Basecamp-created email service Hey.

applezulu

You can do that, and you can also hit your toes with a hammer.

cloudtalkin

In a couple of weeks I'm gonna set Edge and Outlook as defaults on one of my iPads to see if the change the feel of interacting with O365.  Setting Chrome as the browser on my other iPad once Google gets off their ass an updates it.  Really glad Apple has taken the baby steps of offering more user choices.

mcdave

Give them enough rope and they’ll always hang themselves (without even realising).

beats

AppleZulu said:

You can do that, and you can also hit your toes with a hammer.

Stop that. It's not that bad. I hate how mean people are with Microsoft. It's more like stubbing your toe on a couch.

bloggerblog

Not a fan of Chrome or IE (Edge). Sticking with Safari and FF

dhawkins541

I like the opportunity but just can't change at this time. Maybe in the future. You can't install beta profiles with other browsers that's something I will need to go all in for the next public beta. 

sflocal

I know Apple is doing this to provide some flexibility for those users that have been begging for this flexibility, I hope Apple doesn't go too far with this, as I could easily see it becoming the inconsistent mess that is Android.

The simplicity and was of iOS being standard across all phones and releases is why I continue using it.  Too much flexibility - like Android - is just too much.  When I'm working on android phones at the office, I just shake my head at how difficult it can be to use when things are all over the place.

beats

sflocal said:

I know Apple is doing this to provide some flexibility for those users that have been begging for this flexibility, I hope Apple doesn't go too far with this, as I could easily see it becoming the inconsistent mess that is Android.

The simplicity and was of iOS being standard across all phones and releases is why I continue using it.  Too much flexibility - like Android - is just too much.  When I'm working on android phones at the office, I just shake my head at how difficult it can be to use when things are all over the place.

This doesn't make sense now that I think about it. Why would I want a link to open a 3rd party browser? Apple should just keep improving it's products.

Maybe there was some antitrust BS going on behind the scenes....

cloudtalkin

sflocal said:

I know Apple is doing this to provide some flexibility for those users that have been begging for this flexibility, I hope Apple doesn't go too far with this, as I could easily see it becoming the inconsistent mess that is Android.

The simplicity and was of iOS being standard across all phones and releases is why I continue using it.  Too much flexibility - like Android - is just too much.  When I'm working on android phones at the office, I just shake my head at how difficult it can be to use when things are all over the place.

Nothing you wrote makes any sense.  At all.   Not even sure what you mean by inconsistent.  Heck, I'm not even sure you know what you mean.  It just sounds like you're making generic complaints that aren't based in reality.   Android isn't difficult to use.  Most of the world's smartphone using populace has no difficulty using it. I mean, literal children, have no difficulty using it.  If you're shaking your head about Android difficulty, that says more about you than it does about any supposed difficulties of Android.  Too much flexibility?  C'mon dude.  You can stick with a stock iOS setup and be happy.  It's still there.  Apple offering flexibility does mean you are forced to use any of the options.  For the people that want to use the options... that has nothing to do with you or your devices.  

iOS wouldn't be half as capable as it is if Apple followed your thinking.

dewme

Just because you can run with scissors doesn’t mean you should run with scissors. 

timster83

sflocal said:

I know Apple is doing this to provide some flexibility for those users that have been begging for this flexibility, I hope Apple doesn't go too far with this, as I could easily see it becoming the inconsistent mess that is Android.

The simplicity and was of iOS being standard across all phones and releases is why I continue using it.  Too much flexibility - like Android - is just too much.  When I'm working on android phones at the office, I just shake my head at how difficult it can be to use when things are all over the place.

There was nothing simple about it. On iOS I use Outlook exclusively for emails, but prior to iOS 14 if I wanted to use an email address posted for example on a webpage, I had to copy it and paste it into my email client because clicking the mailto link opened a blank email in Mail and would have sent it from an iCloud email address which I neither use nor check. 

Highly complex, frustrating and not user friendly. 

beowulfschmidt

AppleZulu said:

You can do that, and you can also hit your toes with a hammer.

I like Outlook in an office environment.  This is probably because I've been using it for, well, quite a while now, a couple of decades at least, so I'm familiar with all of it's quirks and foibles, and no longer find them annoying.  I've also used it at home, where it's somewhat less useful.  Outlook for the Mac falls woefully short, IMO, of the Windows version though, so if the disparaging comments I see about it are from Mac users, I can completely understand the attitude.

juanguapo

I'm sure this is good news to someone, somewhere. 

edited September 2020

crowley

But can you get emailed pushed to Outlook yet?  That's been the stumbling block for my clients who otherwise would want to use the Outlook app.

strangedays

CloudTalkin said:

sflocal said:

I know Apple is doing this to provide some flexibility for those users that have been begging for this flexibility, I hope Apple doesn't go too far with this, as I could easily see it becoming the inconsistent mess that is Android.

The simplicity and was of iOS being standard across all phones and releases is why I continue using it.  Too much flexibility - like Android - is just too much.  When I'm working on android phones at the office, I just shake my head at how difficult it can be to use when things are all over the place.

Nothing you wrote makes any sense.  At all.   Not even sure what you mean by inconsistent.  Heck, I'm not even sure you know what you mean.  It just sounds like you're making generic complaints that aren't based in reality.   Android isn't difficult to use.  Most of the world's smartphone using populace has no difficulty using it. I mean, literal children, have no difficulty using it.  If you're shaking your head about Android difficulty, that says more about you than it does about any supposed difficulties of Android.  Too much flexibility?  C'mon dude.  You can stick with a stock iOS setup and be happy.  It's still there.  Apple offering flexibility does mean you are forced to use any of the options.  For the people that want to use the options... that has nothing to do with you or your devices.  

iOS wouldn't be half as capable as it is if Apple followed your thinking.

Incorrect. As the resident tech guy with my friends, I’ve fielded countless tech support sessions over the years with normals trying to get their crappy knockoffs and Samsungs to do what they want. And man using them felt gross, not nearly as clean and simple as iOS and its Settings. Without a doubt iOS is easier, especially for my senior family members. (Tho it used to be even easier before things started getting more complex around iOS 7...the OS X-style candy UI was easier, there weren’t so many share sheets and hidden functionality within, accidental drag & drop, etc..)

edited September 2020

strangedays

Remember when not being able to change your default browser or email was considered the boot of oppression by Apple? Now nobody really cares and it's all about the App Store money.

strangedays

crowley said:

But can you get emailed pushed to Outlook yet?  That's been the stumbling block for my clients who otherwise would want to use the Outlook app.

Fairly certain that’s a developer decision. Gmail app pushes email notifications instantly. 

cloudtalkin

StrangeDays said:

CloudTalkin said:

sflocal said:

I know Apple is doing this to provide some flexibility for those users that have been begging for this flexibility, I hope Apple doesn't go too far with this, as I could easily see it becoming the inconsistent mess that is Android.

The simplicity and was of iOS being standard across all phones and releases is why I continue using it.  Too much flexibility - like Android - is just too much.  When I'm working on android phones at the office, I just shake my head at how difficult it can be to use when things are all over the place.

Nothing you wrote makes any sense.  At all.   Not even sure what you mean by inconsistent.  Heck, I'm not even sure you know what you mean.  It just sounds like you're making generic complaints that aren't based in reality.   Android isn't difficult to use.  Most of the world's smartphone using populace has no difficulty using it. I mean, literal children, have no difficulty using it.  If you're shaking your head about Android difficulty, that says more about you than it does about any supposed difficulties of Android.  Too much flexibility?  C'mon dude.  You can stick with a stock iOS setup and be happy.  It's still there.  Apple offering flexibility does mean you are forced to use any of the options.  For the people that want to use the options... that has nothing to do with you or your devices.  

iOS wouldn't be half as capable as it is if Apple followed your thinking.

Incorrect. As the resident tech guy with my friends, I’ve fielded countless tech support sessions over the years with normals trying to get their crappy knockoffs and Samsungs to do what they want. And man using them felt gross, not nearly as clean and simple as iOS and its Settings. Without a doubt iOS is easier, especially for my senior family members. (Tho it used to be even easier before things started getting more complex around iOS 7...the OS X-style candy UI was easier, there weren’t so many share sheets and hidden functionality within, accidental drag & drop, etc..)

Not incorrect, simply a different anecdote.  And like buttholes, everybody has one.  As the resident tech guy with my friends explaining the ins and outs of Android is no harder than explaining the ins and outs of iOS, Mac OS, or Windows.  Most of my tech advice centers around integration since the vast majority of the people I know have tech from multiple ecosystems.  I've always suggested people build their tech around what they want to achieve, not around a particular ecosystem.  Now it might work best for that person to be all Apple, or all Samsung, or All MS.  It also might work better for them to "a la carte" it.  It depends on the individual and their desires.  

But to say without a doubt iOS is easier is just an opinion.  No more valid than an opinion that Android is.  Neither is that difficult... for the young or the stereotypical "clueless" seniors. (Not really sure why anecdotal seniors are always, always so helpless.  Narrative building maybe, idk.  The one's I know are pretty sharp.) ←Anecdotes, like buttholes amirite? Iamrite.

crowley

StrangeDays said:

crowley said:

But can you get emailed pushed to Outlook yet?  That's been the stumbling block for my clients who otherwise would want to use the Outlook app.

Fairly certain that’s a developer decision. Gmail app pushes email notifications instantly. 

Notifications yes, but not the email.  You have to open the app to download the email.  Apple Mail is the only mail client that is able to download email in the background.

strangedays

CloudTalkin said:

StrangeDays said:

CloudTalkin said:

sflocal said:

I know Apple is doing this to provide some flexibility for those users that have been begging for this flexibility, I hope Apple doesn't go too far with this, as I could easily see it becoming the inconsistent mess that is Android.

The simplicity and was of iOS being standard across all phones and releases is why I continue using it.  Too much flexibility - like Android - is just too much.  When I'm working on android phones at the office, I just shake my head at how difficult it can be to use when things are all over the place.

Nothing you wrote makes any sense.  At all.   Not even sure what you mean by inconsistent.  Heck, I'm not even sure you know what you mean.  It just sounds like you're making generic complaints that aren't based in reality.   Android isn't difficult to use.  Most of the world's smartphone using populace has no difficulty using it. I mean, literal children, have no difficulty using it.  If you're shaking your head about Android difficulty, that says more about you than it does about any supposed difficulties of Android.  Too much flexibility?  C'mon dude.  You can stick with a stock iOS setup and be happy.  It's still there.  Apple offering flexibility does mean you are forced to use any of the options.  For the people that want to use the options... that has nothing to do with you or your devices.  

iOS wouldn't be half as capable as it is if Apple followed your thinking.

Incorrect. As the resident tech guy with my friends, I’ve fielded countless tech support sessions over the years with normals trying to get their crappy knockoffs and Samsungs to do what they want. And man using them felt gross, not nearly as clean and simple as iOS and its Settings. Without a doubt iOS is easier, especially for my senior family members. (Tho it used to be even easier before things started getting more complex around iOS 7...the OS X-style candy UI was easier, there weren’t so many share sheets and hidden functionality within, accidental drag & drop, etc..)

Not incorrect, simply a different anecdote.  And like buttholes, everybody has one.  As the resident tech guy with my friends explaining the ins and outs of Android is no harder than explaining the ins and outs of iOS, Mac OS, or Windows.  Most of my tech advice centers around integration since the vast majority of the people I know have tech from multiple ecosystems.  I've always suggested people build their tech around what they want to achieve, not around a particular ecosystem.  Now it might work best for that person to be all Apple, or all Samsung, or All MS.  It also might work better for them to "a la carte" it.  It depends on the individual and their desires.  

But to say without a doubt iOS is easier is just an opinion.  No more valid than an opinion that Android is.  Neither is that difficult... for the young or the stereotypical "clueless" seniors. (Not really sure why anecdotal seniors are always, always so helpless.  Narrative building maybe, idk.  The one's I know are pretty sharp.) ←Anecdotes, like buttholes amirite? Iamrite.

No, it's incorrect. You stated it as fact (Android isn't difficult to use, no problem using it, etc), but your statement isn't fact. If you had presented it as just another opinion, sure, no issue there. As for iOS I don't even think it's opinion that iOS is easier than Android, that's the entire value proposition of iOS -- it's easier. 

As for seniors, it's not a narrative, it's simply reality. They didn't grow up with computing gizmos, and they don't have exceptionally fine motor control, making the nuances  between tap, long-tap, tap-and-drag more challenging. Hell my dad still double-clicks links in web pages, and listening to Gruber's podcasts this is not unusual...they just didn't grow up with this stuff so the reasons for a click vs a double click (double-clicking is a shortcut on desktop OSes for "run") are lost on them. Since I support so many old people, getting them to the easier platform is the name of the game. Android was always jankier, from settings to the simple act of scrolling. Maybe it's gotten better in recent years, dunno. 

edited September 2020