Outlook for Android opening links in internal browser

SOLUTION

Hi all,

I found on my Android phone in my settings in the Outlook app a solution that I hope will work for all of you:

Outlook app

Settings

Scroll to the bottom --> switch "use standard browser" on

Links from my emails in the Outlook app now open in my preferred browser again!

Thanks! You are a life saver....and you are the first one to point this out.

Sigh....

SOLUTION

Hi all,

I found on my Android phone in my settings in the Outlook app a solution that I hope will work for all of you:

Outlook app

Settings

Scroll to the bottom --> switch "use standard browser" on

Links from my emails in the Outlook app now open in my preferred browser again!

Regile

This is also happening in IOS

Perhaps you didn't notice that this thread is called "Outlook for Android opening links in internal browser", and it's posted in the "Microsoft 365 and Office / Outlook / Android phone & tablet / Office Mobile apps" forum?

You can find the correct forum for asking about issues with iPhones and iPads at this link: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_outlook-mso_imobile-mso_mobapps

You're also replying to a post that is over a year old ("In reply to Regile Reb's post on July 9, 2020") about an issue that Microsoft issued a fix for in November 2020, over 9 month ago.

Microsoft also explained their rationale for this "feature", and it has nothing to do with tracking user activity in browsers, (they don't need you to open a link in an email to know what the link is, and this "feature" doesn't tell them anything about all the other browser activity that you do when you're not reading mail). Their rationale is that opening a link in an internal browser is less intrusive to your work flow because it doesn't involve a shift in focus to a external app. That might actually make sense for certain types of users working within an authenticated Enterprise Domain, but it doesn't take account of the needs of all users. But just because it doesn't take account of your needs doesn't mean that it's doing anything intrusive - you really aren't that important.

Regile

This is also happening in IOS as well and it is really annoying. There is no option to disable it.

And it appeared recently so I guess the main purpose is to track users activity in browsers, which is totally intrusive.

Hopefully you can find a solution and share with us

Thanks

More importantly, this built-in browser opens up a completely unprotected security back-door for my kids.

I protect my kids with the Microsoft Family features, which allows me to protect them from harmful websites inside the Edge browser.

I have now discovered that when they follow a URL in any e-mail which they receive, Microsoft are now giving them a complete and unprotected browser environment. Thanks Microsoft! You give with one hand and take away with the other...