Mobile Office apps are set to receive a bunch of new features

Microsoft announced a bunch of new features for its mobile apps, such as Outlook, Teams, and Office. These updates will be available on Android and iOS in the coming weeks.

In Outlook you will be able to use “conversational AI capability” to quickly perform different tasks using voice and natural language. For example, schedule a meeting, add participants, create new messages, ask general questions about your workflow, etc. The main idea is that there is no need to learn specific commands or complicated requests. You can use natural language just like in a regular conversation with a living person.

Microsoft Teams on mobile will receive Cortana support in Australia, Canada, U.K., and India (English language only). Again, the built-in assistant will help you with making calls, sending messages, sharing files, or finding the needed content. In the United States users of Microsoft Teams and the Office app will be able to use natural language queries to search for messages, meetings, files, links, etc. For example, “Find the financial report from the last quarter”, or “Search for messages from Brad”.

On top of that, developers announced Microsoft Lens integration with Teams. This allows you quickly record a short video and annotate it using text, emojis, or ink. Microsoft promises to release this feature by the end of the current quarter.

Microsoft’s Office apps are also to receive something called micro-tasking shortcuts. These will help you quickly perform different actions, such as create a poll or form, receive daily weather forecast, preview links, create shortcuts for files, etc.

Also, iPad users will finally be able to use a unified Office app that Microsoft promised to release at the end of 2020. It combines individual Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps under the single UI that allows working with supported documents.

You can learn more about all the new features in the blog post on the official Microsoft website.