Millions of Users Will Lose Access to This Microsoft Office App

Microsoft Office and the various tools and apps within it are some of the most widely-used applications in the world. Millions of users rely on apps like Word, PowerPoint and Excel to get work done every day, and the Outlook email client is often the glue holding it all together.

Microsoft has announced that support for one of its most widely-used email clients will be ending, and that users who are on the app in question will need to find a replacement within the next few weeks.

Outlook Lite, the email app designed specifically for Android, will no longer be supported by Microsoft after May 25. Per Neowin, the company is looking to shift users to the Microsoft Outlook mobile app used on other platforms.

What Is The Outlook Lite App?

Outlook Lite was launched in 2022, with a focus on low-powered and older Android devices. The app used fewer resources than other email clients, and was often praised for performance on a variety of devices. Android phones and tablets are often on a wider scale of releases and security updates than iOS devices, and the Outlook Lite app was an equitable option across the entire Android ecosystem.

When Outlook Lite was created, Microsoft said that it was intended “to empower more individuals, schools, universities, and small businesses with a solution for their lightweight mobile devices."

In 2024, Microsoft announced that Outlook Lite had been downloaded from the Play Store more than 10 million times, and that the app had millions of daily active users.

Microsoft has been preparing for the end of Outlook Lite for months, and new installs and downloads have been prevented since October. The company says that users should prepare to transition to the feature complete Outlook mobile app in order to prevent an interruption in access to their email accounts.

Microsoft Offers Users an Upgrade Path

An "upgrade" option is also available for users in the Outlook Lite app, taking them directly to the Play Store to download the Outlook mobile app.

User accounts from Outlook Lite will not be deleted or disabled, but the app will no longer recognize navigation or access to mailboxes after the May 25 deadline. All email, calendar items, and attachments are tied to user accounts and should be accessible after logging into the recommended mobile app.

As Microsoft continues to re-evaluate its place in the tech world as a software leader, it's cleat that getting all of its users on the same platform has become a priority. Android users who previously used Outlook Lite will now have access to the same tools and features given to those who use Outlook on other platforms.