Outlook.com Exchange Server in Mail for Android App

Question

Hello folks and a Happy New Year from Germany!

I am using an Outlook.com Email flawlessly in Outlook classic on Windows having it added as an Exchange Server.

So I tried to set up in the Mail for Android as an Exchange Server too (to have contacts and calendar synchronized) using this explanation: Set up email in Android email app

• Tried eas.outlook.com and office365.outlook.com as server addresses. No success.
• Tried generating an App Passwort as I am using 2FA.
• Tried using modern authentification getting a "no server connection" error.

I always get the following error (in German): "Prüfen Sie Ihre Kontoinformationen oder wechseln Sie unten zur modernen Authentifizierung. Wenn Sie Hilfe benötigen, kontaktieren Sie Ihren IT-Administrator."

Is there any way to setup my outlook.com email in the Mail for Android App as an exchange server.

I do not want to use the Outlook for Android App as this isn't as nicely integrated in the Google ecosystem especially concerning the new Gemini assistent.

Thanks in advance.

Sebastian

Answer 1

Dear Sebastian Möllmann,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft community. 

I understand that you've encountered problems when connecting your Outlook mailbox in the Mail for Android App. I'm happy to explain it to you.

Indeed, when connecting an Outlook mailbox in the Outlook APP on a computer, it will be configured as the Exchange protocol type. However, in fact, in mailbox applications other than the Outlook APP, currently none of them can support configuring an Outlook mailbox with the Exchange protocol.

The configuration solutions provided in the link you attached are for the settings of some enterprise/school accounts, where they host their domains in the Exchange server. While personal accounts are usually configured via this option using the IMAP protocol. I think this official document hasn't been updated for a long time, and I apologize for the misunderstandings it has caused you.

To sum up, although I know you don't want to use the outlook APP, if you don't use it, you won't be able to configure your Outlook mailbox using the Exchange protocol, and it will also be difficult to synchronize the calendar and contacts of your Outlook mailbox to other apps. This is due to the system design.

I hope I've explained this problem clearly to you. Thank you for taking the time to deal with this issue. Wish you and those around you a Happy New Year and all the best!

Best Regards,

Ulrica.W - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Hello Ulrica,

thank you very much for your detailed reply. However while I managed to add the outlook.com account in Outlook classic as an Exchange server it doesn't make sense to me that this doesn't work on a mobile device with another mail client. Furthermore I managed to set up my work premise Exchange account on Mail for Android without any problem.

It seems like Microsoft is actively preventing users from using their Exchange accounts on other software than Outlook which offers - let's be honest - not the smartest integration in the Google ecosystem.

Just to confirm: Is office365.outlook.com the correct Exchange server address or did it change in the meanwhile?

Best Regards,

Sebastian Möllmann

Answer 3

Dear Sebastian Möllmann,

Thank you for your reply!

First of all, please understand, I re-read my reply, there is a little inappropriate in my expression, at present in the scope of the Android system, there is really no mailbox application that supports Exchange connection, but for iOS system, Mail for iOS supports Exchange. On this basis, please read my updated reply.

office365.outlook.com is the correct Exchange server address, if you can't connect using this method, it actually indicates that it's the Mail for Android app that doesn't support Exchange connection to Microsoft domain mailboxes, not that Microsoft is blocking this connection protocol. If you can't understand this point, please check my detailed explanation below. (The following description is from a neutral and objective standpoint, and does not favor Microsoft or any other mailbox apps)

In September this year, Microsoft officially changed the authentication method of Microsoft mailboxes, for Microsoft domain mailboxes (outlook/Hotmail/live/msn), you need to use modern authentication to connect to the mailbox client, that is, when connecting to the mailbox, after inputting the address, you need to jump to the browser to verify the Microsoft account, and then you can connect successfully. If the mailbox application opens Exchange connection interface to Microsoft domain mailbox, it will connect to Exchange protocol first.

Take the Mail APP that comes with iOS device as an example, it connects Microsoft domain mailbox with the same outlook.com option, and after logging in Microsoft account, Mail for iOS can synchronize emails/calendars/contacts/notes, which shows that Microsoft domain mailboxes can be connected with Exchange protocol in the three-party mailbox clients, and Microsoft doesn't block this way.

While Mail for Android connects to Microsoft domain mailbox in the same way, it shows IMAP protocol, which indicates that this app doesn't open Exchange interface for Microsoft domain mailbox, so it can only connect to IMAP.

I apologize for saying something more absolute since I limited the scope to Android. To summarize, this is a situation caused by the design of Mail for Android system, and I hope this can clarify some issues. If you have questions, please feel free to reply, I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Best Regards,

Ulrica.W - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist