Microsoft Outlook iOS Gets Trello, Evernote, Giphy and Smartsheet Integrations

Microsoft has tweaked its Outlook for iOS app to bring compatibility with third-party productivity and communication apps designed for Apple’s mobile operating system.

The Redmond company has joined forces with note-taking company Evernote, gif library and create Giphy, customer relationship management (CRM) systems firm Nimble, cloud collaboration service Smartsheet, and Trello, a web-based management software provider; all of which will be tied into Outlook for iOS.

Third-party extravaganza on iOS

Microsoft’s corporate vice president for its Office Product Group, said the integration with these popular third-party iOS apps will make using the Outlook app on Apple mobile devices a more seamless experience that removes some of the need to bounce between different apps.

He also noted that Microsoft is also bring a few add-ins of its own for Outlook on iOS to link Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Translator to the app.

“With these add-ins, Outlook will help you accomplish awesome things you simply couldn’t do before from email,” he said.

“Today, we use email to communicate and to triage and prioritize information. Completing tasks often requires us to leave our inbox and access other apps and services. Add-ins for Outlook help you transform your inbox into a “do-box” and accomplish tasks quickly—right from your email.

“For example, imagine you are at the airport and receive an email from a new customer contact from Italy. With add-ins for Outlook, you can translate the email from Italian to your preferred language, review and update the customer’s CRM history and update your notes or project board—without leaving Outlook.

“Add-ins can help you get more done on the go, and save you valuable time spent switching between apps.”

Such integrations may not be set the tech world on fire with excitement, but they do indicate a growing focus on software makers working together to tie in all the disparate productivity apps and services used in businesses and workers on mobile devices.

The pinnacle of this path could be the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to link all these services together and server up the information and functionality people need in a relevant and almost natural fashion, freeing up time searching for files and documents for workers under the pressures of the modern world.

Take our Microsoft quiz here!