Outlook emails on Android phone

Gmail app for the outlook?

Hi Jeanette HB,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand how frustrating this can be, especially since you’re unable to sign in and also cannot install the Outlook app on your Android device.

From the screenshot, it appears the account is being added through Android’s built‑in email account setup rather than the Outlook app. The message shown (“server requires a protocol version not supported by Email”) indicates that the built‑in Android Email app is unable to complete sign‑in for Outlook.com accounts, as this method is no longer supported.

Using the Outlook app for Android is the supported way to access Outlook.com on mobile. However, since your device reports that the Outlook app is not compatible, this usually means the Android version on the device does not meet the app’s minimum requirements or required system components are not available.

Given this limitation, the supported options you can try are:

1. Check whether your device has an available Android system update. Updating the Android version may allow the Outlook app to be installed.
2. Access your mailbox through a mobile web browser by signing in at outlook.com. This does not require installing any app and works on older devices.
3. If email access through an app is required, using a newer Android device that supports the Outlook app would be necessary, as Outlook.com sign‑in is no longer supported in most built‑in Android email clients.

If you would like official confirmation regarding device compatibility or to verify that your Outlook.com account itself is in good standing, you can contact Microsoft Support by below steps:

1. Visit the Microsoft Support contact page: Contact - Microsoft Support  
2. In the search bar provided on the page, type "Outlook issue" and press Enter.  
3. Click on the "Get Help" button that appears.  
4. Scroll down the page until you see and click on the "Contact Support" option.  
5. When prompted to select your product or service, choose "Other Products".  
6. For the category, choose "Outlook".  
7. Look for and click on "Chat with a support agent in your web browser".  
8. Confirm your personal email when prompted - this is the email Microsoft will use to communicate with you during and after the support session.  
9. Explain your situation clearly: Be concise but provide all the relevant details.    

Just to set expectations, this is a public, user‑to‑user forum, so contributors here do not have the ability to change device compatibility or override app requirements.

I hope this helps clarify why you’re seeing this behavior and what options are available on your device.

The error shown indicates that the Android mail app cannot verify the Outlook/Hotmail account because the server settings or protocol are not supported by that app. This is a configuration issue with the built‑in mail client, not with the Outlook.com service itself.

To resolve this, use one of these supported options on Android:

1. Install and use the official Outlook for Android app, then add the Outlook.com account there. This app automatically discovers the correct server and protocol and avoids the “couldn’t verify account” error.
2. If using another mail app, follow that app’s documented steps for adding an Outlook/Hotmail or Microsoft 365 account and ensure the correct server type (such as Exchange/Outlook.com) is selected instead of a generic or unsupported protocol.

If sign‑in still fails in the Outlook mobile app itself, use the guidance in the “Can’t sign in to the Outlook mobile app” article to troubleshoot based on whether the account is a Microsoft personal account, work/school account, or non‑Microsoft account.

References:

• Outlook for Android Help
• Can't sign in to the Outlook mobile app