Microsoft has released a new build of Outlook Mobile, version 4.2442.0. It updates the privacy control "Connected experiences that analyze your content", found in Settings > Privacy.
In the past, this setting allowed you to switch off Outlook"s cloud-based capabilities like Location Suggestions, Weather on your calendar, and sharing feedback with Microsoft. The update means that this setting also disables Copilot features.
This is the fifth, and likely final update, for October. In the third update, both Android and iOS users started being referred to standalone Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps rather than the Microsoft 365 (Office) app they were referred to before.
In the fourth update of the month, iOS users who open an Information Rights Managed (IRM) file in Outlook Mobile are now automatically handed off to the standalone Word, PowerPoint, Excel apps, or the Microsoft 365 (Office) app if they have the appropriate app installed.
While Copilot and other generative AI tools offer some great features, many of them are cloud-based services which means hosts can potentially read or use the data for training purposes. As Outlook Mobile is widely used in the corporate world, there will be plenty of businesses that have sensitive information who can"t let Microsoft collect data about it.
Thanks to this update, business and personal users who do not want their email data sent to Microsoft can use Outlook Mobile with more confidence knowing that Copilot isn"t sending sensitive back to Microsoft.
According to the Outlook Mobile release notes page, new updates are pushed out on a weekly basis. Given this, the next update will be released on November 6. To check for updates, just open up the Play Store or App Store and search for Microsoft Outlook.