Microsoft has been sending out a "Final Notice" email to several users recently. The mail in question, with the subject "Final notice - you may lose access to some of your third-party mail and calendar apps" is meant to serve as a warning to such users who are using third-party mail and calendar apps to access Outlook email. Microsoft wants users to move from Basic Authentication (usernames and passwords) to Modern (OAuth 2.0 token-based) Authentication and apps that don't support Modern Auth will stop working with Outlook starting today.
The company announced the change earlier this year on June 11th stating:
Starting September 16th, Microsoft personal email account users (e.g. Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Live.com) will need to move to Modern Authentication methods in their email application. These will be necessary for all Outlook users.
To help keep Outlook personal email accounts secure, starting September 16, 2024, Microsoft will no longer support Basic Auth, the method in which a person provides only their username and password to sign into their account.
As of September 16, 2024, Outlook will require that all those with a Microsoft email account use a mail or calendar app or the Outlook.com website which supports modern auth, such as the latest versions of Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird.
Before this final notice Microsoft had already sent out mails regarding the upcoming changes under an email stating "Update your sign-in technology before September 16th, 2024 to maintain email access" (via Caroline7122 on the Microsoft Tech Community forum). The tech giant began this communication process towards the end of June 2024. The email said:
The safety and security of your information is top priority for Microsoft. To help keep your account secure, Microsoft will no longer support the use of third-party email and calendar apps which ask you to sign in with only your Microsoft Account username and password.
To keep you safe you will need to use a mail or calendar app which supports Microsoft’s modern authentication methods. If you do not act, your third-party email apps will no longer be able to access your Outlook.com, Hotmail or Live.com email address on September 16th.
The move towards Modern Auth is part of Microsoft's effort behind the Secure Future Initiative (SFI) that it announced last year to make "security its top priority."
Microsoft has provided more details regarding Modern Authentication supported app versions. It notes:
Outlook supports Modern Authentication in all current Microsoft 365 subscription SKUs and Outlook 2021 LTSC (any SKU with build 11601.10000 or higher) when connecting directly as Outlook.com. If your Outlook is configured to connect to Outlook.com using POP or IMAP, Modern Authentication is not supported.
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The following versions of Outlook Desktop do not support Modern Authentication for Outlook.com: Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2016 MSI, Outlook 2019 LTSC. Any release of Outlook Desktop with a version less than 11601.10000 does not support Modern Authentication for Outlook.com.
You can find detailed steps regarding the changes you need to make on this support page on Microsoft's website. If you use Thunderbird, you can also follow this article to proceed.
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