Why is the "play my emails" feature in outlook being retired in June 2024? I use it for 2 hours everyday, and it makes me much more efficient.

Dear Mr. McCarty,

I was unable to find the appropriate place for providing my feedback. Therefore, I am echoing your concerns mentioned above. I am writing to agree with your complaint and formally express my dissatisfaction regarding the discontinuation of the "Play My Emails" feature in Microsoft Outlook Mobile. This feature, which has now officially retired on my phone ,has been an essential tool for me, significantly enhancing my productivity and streamlining my daily workflow.

The "Play My Emails" feature was invaluable in allowing me to manage my emails efficiently while multitasking. Its removal will not only disrupt my routine but also add unnecessary hours to my workday. Despite the introduction of new voice control features in Windows 11, there is no equivalent substitute that matches the convenience and functionality of "Play My Emails."

I am particularly frustrated because it appears that Microsoft is not adequately considering user feedback on this matter. The justification provided for the discontinuation lacks substance and fails to address the specific benefits that this feature offers to users like myself.

The removal of such a beneficial feature feels abrupt and inconsiderate to the needs of loyal customers like us. I hope to join your voice in urging Microsoft to reconsider this decision or, at the very least, provide a clear and valid explanation for this change. Listening to user feedback is crucial for maintaining trust and satisfaction among their user base.

I hope that Microsoft will take steps to address our concern.

Sincerely,

Jamie odonnell

This was the worst possible feature that could’ve been removed for me. I have a long commute and use play my email on Outlook mobile to stay productive. It saves me hours every week. Microsoft should be providing some form of replacement application for this feature. It was very shortsighted to remove it. This sucks!

Why is the "play my emails" feature in outlook being retired in June 2024? I use it for 2 hours everyday, and it makes me much more efficient. Will it be replaced by another feature that reads my emails within Microsoft outlook?

Yesterday was catching up with emails as have been traveling recently. I use ‘play my emails’ feature to catch up. More than that I have a 2.5hr commute everyday to work and back. Play my emails was a god send and it was starting to understand my voice too. I would connect it to my car système and by the time I got home or to work I was ready

Why would this feature be retired? In all the chats so far, I’ve not seen a real reason from MS. I think the product team need to rethink their decision.

After two weeks of not having access to “play my emails“, yesterday for some reason I was able to use the function on Microsoft outlook for Mobile.

I was so happy and believed that Microsoft had listened to all the feedback around how important this feature is to Mobile users. I’ve logged in today on my hour long commute and can see that the feature doesn’t even show up any more on my phone. I’m incredibly disappointed and seek that the Microsoft team listen to the huge amount of feedback and immediately reinstate the ability for users to access this important feature.

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Technology companies don’t usually take backwards steps and I can’t understand why Microsoft is shutting off the feature without a viable and appropriate replacement

In my opinion, this was the best and only feature that made me OK with using Microsoft Outlook. I would really like to know an answer to Nathan‘s question above and I’m sure I’m not the only one. This move to make voice reading of emails unavailable will greatly impact my ability to efficiently get through emails. I can’t explain how disappointed I am by this