The new scheduling assistant is based on its rather popular desktop version. The iOS variant allows for an easier overview of coworkers’ availability, making scheduling meeting at an ideal time just a few taps away.
The process is fairly simple as the assistant uses colored themes to highlight the availability. There are four colors for display – white, red, yellow and green.
Setting up a meeting
When picking a date, day will be highlighted in white if the selected time is working for everyone. Red means that no time works while yellow indicates other available times if the selected one doesn’t work.
Upon setting on a date, performing a drag and drop action selects the time. Once the selected time turns green, that means everyone is available. From there, all that is left is to fill the other fields and tap the checkmark icon to save and send the event.
The feature is currently available on Outlook for iOS when connected to Office 365 or the latest versions of Exchange. Microsoft states Android and Windows 10 mobile versions will follow shortly.
This is just one of the latest features to improve the Outlook for mobile devices. September saw the release of a new and improved calendar on iOS and Android that brought Maps and Skype for Business integration. In April, Microsoft released Calendar Apps that allowed connecting apps like Facebook, Evernote and Wunderlist to a calendar.
In May Microsoft announced that it will be removing the Sunrise calendar app from Android and iOS. The company bought the maker of the popular calendar app in 2015 and wants the team to concentrate on Outlook.
