Outlook Mobile for iOS and Android: Draft messages now minimize automatically when closed

Updated October 2, 2025: We have updated the timeline. Thank you for your patience.

Introduction

We're introducing a new behavior in Outlook Mobile that improves draft handling. When users close a draft message in progress, it will now automatically minimize instead of closing completely. This allows users to quickly resume editing via a new button in the message list, enhancing productivity and reducing accidental draft loss.

When this will happen

General Availability (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High, DoD): Rollout will begin in late September 2025 (previously early September) and is expected to complete by late October 2025 (previously early March 2026).

How this affects your organization

Once this change is deployed, users will notice that closing a draft message no longer discards it or hides it from view. Instead, the draft will minimize and remain accessible via a button in the message list. This feature is on by default and does not require user or admin configuration.

This change is designed to reduce interruptions and improve the user experience by making draft recovery more intuitive.

What you can do to prepare

No admin action is required.

We recommend the following:

• Inform your users about this change to reduce confusion.
• Update internal documentation or training materials where applicable.

Compliance considerations

No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.