Problems Solved
PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
What are these entries in Outlook?
Q Recently, I was exploring the Settings pages in Outlook.com for something related to junk email. I found what I wanted but, while poking around in there, I also looked in the ‘Mobile devices’ section and was alarmed to find several entries that I didn’t recognise. My iPhone and iPad are both listed there, but so too are a couple of more items that are labelled as ‘UniversalOutlook’. I have no idea what these are, and my iPhone and iPad are the only two mobile devices I own. My only other machines are a desktop PC and a laptop. I’m really not sure what to think or do. Could you perhaps enlighten me?
Michael Benson
A Certainly. First, for the benefit of other readers we should explain that you found this list by clicking the Settings cog followed by ‘View all Outlook settings’, and then General followed by ‘Mobile devices’.
Next, it’s useful to understand that ‘Mobile devices’ is a misnomer. Rather, this section lists devices that connect to access your Outlook.com account – but from outside the Outlook.com website itself. As such, it is likely to include mobile devices, but it can also track connections made by any device, including laptops and desktop PCs.
That last bit is key here, because the UniversalOutlook label is Microsoft’s term for the Windows 10 Mail app. We’re sure it makes sense to the company’s software engineers, at least! So, any computer you own that runs Windows 10 is likely to have connected to your Outlook.com account to sync emails to the Mail app, and will be listed here as UniversalOutlook.
