Microsoft this morning announced a series of new features coming to its Outlook for Mac 2016 software for Office 365 users, including those that will allow you to schedule your emails, track the message’s delivery, and find out if the email was read, among others. Some of the changes are rolling out first to those who receive early updates through Microsoft’s Office Insider Fast program, while other new additions, like email templates, will arrive today.
Being able to schedule delivery is something Outlook has supported for some time in other versions of its software across platforms, including Outlook 2007, 2010, 2013, and 2016, through its “Delay Delivery” feature available in the Options menu in the Message.
The new “Send Later” feature in Office for Mac 2016, however, adds a drop-down next to the Send button itself. After clicking on this option, you’re then able to select the date and time you want to send your email, which is saved to your Drafts folder until it’s time.
Also new to Outlook 2016 for Mac is support for delivery and read (opened) receipts when sending messages.
Microsoft notes, though, that email recipients can choose to decline to send read receipts. That means the feature won’t go so far as to replace the more advanced email tracking solutions on the market, which tend to use sneakier tactics like tracking pixels in order to determine when messages are opened.
The updated software will support email templates, too, as well as the ability to turn your emails into calendar events, just by dragging and dropping the email onto the calendar itself. This will turn the email subject into calendar subject, while the body of the email is filled into the event’s Notes field. The same drag-and-drop will also work to turn emails into tasks, if you prefer.
Setting up new accounts is also now easier, as you no longer need to know what type of account you have (like Office 365, Exchange, IMAP or POP), and if you’ve signed into other Office apps before using Outlook, the software will just prompt you to add that existing account.
The company says it prioritized which items to launch first based on user feedback, and these additions represent four of the most requested features.
Most features are available today.
The Request a Delivery and Read receipts, email templates, and creating calendar events and tasks from emails additions are available today to all Office 365 subscribers on version 15.35 (170610), says Microsoft. And the improved account setup experience is available to all Outlook Mac users on version 15.34 (170515).
However, “Send Later” is first available to Office Insider Fast users today on version 15.36 (170606) but won’t reach all Office 365 subscribers until July.