A Microsoft insider has told Computing that the company is intentionally steering Android users towards its Outlook mail app by making synchronisation between the two platforms difficult.
A Microsoft staff member told Computing, while responding to mounting concerns from Android users - especially after the company rebranded Hotmail to Outlook - that synching Android's stock email client with Hotmail/Outlook is becoming more difficult.
Further reading Android and Samsung dominate European smartphone market Microsoft Build 2013: Xbox One and Windows Phone get Unity support Microsoft Build 2013: Future of devices lies in an “outpouring” of post-Surface ‘two in one’ touch notebooks, says Ballmer
The insider, who said the decision was based on ‘running a business' went on to suggest that ‘people could always use the Outlook app', which is built and provided by Microsoft, and does not feed directly into Android's built-in client.
Users have been reporting synchronisation problems with Microsoft Hotmail servers for over a year. While workarounds are usually possible for most versions of Android and models of phone, the process of simply entering account details and operating Microsoft mail successfully in Android Email is often a difficult one.
Microsoft's official help page for Outlook.com states that "you can access Outlook.com on Android phones and tablets by using the Outlook.com Android app", or suggests standard browser access.
Windows Phone and iOS users, however, are offered more complete instructions, which cite their built-in mail clients.
