Microsoft has simplified the synchronization architecture used to connect Outlook mobile clients to Exchange. The new approach sets the scene for some new functionality, like support for S/MIME and access to shared mailboxes. It's all good and it marks the continued progress of Outlook mobile since the Acompli acquisition in 2014.
The Focused Inbox is the keynote feature of the Outlook for iOS and Android mobile clients. All other clients in the Outlook family have used the Clutter feature, which processes mail on the server and removes unimportant items into the Clutter folder. Now Microsoft is dropping Clutter and introducing the Focused Inbox across the entire Outlook family. Rationalization and commonality is good, especially when features that really work are made available to all clients. Here’s how the changeover will occur.
By the time Microsoft Ignite happens in September 2016, the Outlook app for iOS and Android will have an all-Microsoft infrastructure. The Amazon-based cache is being replaced by a new architecture that is shared by Exchange Online, Exchange on-premises and non-Microsoft email servers like Gmail. It’s a big change and it’s happening now.