If, like me, you’re stuck in the limbo between personal email on Gmail and a work account on Microsoft’s Exchange or Office 365, you’ve probably dealt with the problem by installing and using two email apps simultaneously on your Android phone — I hot-swap between Gmail and Outlook. Now, though, you can juggle your email apps no longer; Google has officially switched on Exchange support within the stock standard Gmail app on Android.
Exchange support within the stock Gmail email app delivered on all new Android devices is a pretty convenient feature for enthusiasts and office IT managers alike; if you have to install one fewer app, that’s one fewer thing to potentially go wrong on a new phone. As useful as Outlook is — its integrated calendar is surprisingly useful in Agenda mode — I know that I’ll be swapping to a Gmail-only existence from now on.
There have been APK downloads for Exchange Services and workarounds for a while now, as well as second-party support in some phones from Samsung like the Galaxy Note series, but it’s nice to see official support for Exchange accounts coming to Gmail. If you haven’t seen the update already in your Play Store queue, you should have it imminently. No news on whether it’s coming to Inbox, though — seems unlikely.
The news comes to us via Twitter:
All your mail in one place. An update to the Android Gmail app is now rolling out with support for Exchange accounts pic.twitter.com/yV6zjI0e6U
— Gmail (@gmail) April 25, 2016
[Twitter]