Alongside a slate of announcements made this morning, Microsoft has launched a new text-to-speech feature for Cortana in the Outlook app for iOS devices. With this feature, called "Play My Emails," the Outlook app uses Cortana's natural language interactions and AI to read out your latest emails.

cortana emails
Microsoft is aiming this feature at users who want to catch up on their inboxes while doing something else, like driving or working at their desks. Cortana starts by summarizing how many emails are new in the user's Focused Inbox in the last 24 hours, and if there have been any changes to their upcoming daily schedule, thanks to integration with Outlook's calendar.


Cortana also uses Microsoft Graph to identity the sender of each email in relationship to the user, so it's easier to know the context of the message without looking at the screen. Because of these abilities and more, Microsoft said that Play My Emails is more than just a text-to-speech update, but a way to have a natural conversation with Cortana.

Cortana synthesizes the information in the message header and meta data and marries it with the insights about you and information from apps and services that power Office 365. This provides a more meaningful and contextual readout.

The Play My Emails experience is like having a conversation with your personal assistant.

Play My Emails is launching today to customers in the United States for the Outlook app on iOS devices, and later it will launch on Android.

Top Rated Comments

1144557 Avatar
77 months ago
MS killing is here adding useful stuff to Outlook every few weeks. Making the broken iOS Mail app look really bad right now after months of no fixes somehow
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jmh600cbr Avatar
77 months ago
Siri needs this with CarPlay
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThisisAdar Avatar
77 months ago
Microsoft taking swings at Google like Paquaio did against Mayweather. In the end us consumers win from this. ??‍♂️
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Peepo Avatar
77 months ago
No Canada ?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1144557 Avatar
77 months ago

What is broken in Mail? Please list 3 things.

"Play" My Emails is strange language. Why not "Read My Emails", "Review My Emails", or "Check My Email"?

Apple is moving slowly in some areas. Too slowly.
You clearly arent a newb, so try searching. Many threads on Macrumors like

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-13-native-mail-app.2205325/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-13-2-mail-app-freezing-after-search.2209344/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mail-rarely-pushing-to-iphone.2208101/


and even some in the Apple official forums too https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250795626

Hell just search the site for the word "mail" in the search box and see how many Maill app issues pop up

HUNDREDS of posts of issues in the above thread and general iOS 13 threads; Im not going to spend my time rattling them off but- no notifications for Exchange accounts, double sent mails entries showing for exchange, mail not updating until opening app.

Exchange and the stock Mail app has a host of known issues, see the chart someone in the above thread made https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-13-native-mail-app.2205325/page-2?post=27898725#post-27898725

HUGE usability bugs in general with the core functions of an email app not even nitpicking the small stuff like my the email functions (reply, forward, archive, ove) that were perfectly fine across the bottom bar over 12 OS versions are now buried in a submenu now with only delete and the bottons are right next to each other where one can accidentally delete an email https://www.cultofmac.com/661624/mail-app-trash-can-ios-13/

Denial isnt just a river in Egypt.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gplusplus Avatar
77 months ago
If only I could change the default email client on my $1,100.00 device.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 Pro Max Teardown Reveals Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem for 5G

Friday September 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone Air is equipped with Apple's custom C1X modem for cellular connectivity, all of the iPhone 17 models are outfitted with Qualcomm modems still. A teardown video shared on Chinese platform Bilibili today (via Reddit) appears to confirm the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem in particular. The same modem is likely used in the iPhone 17 and iPhone ...
iphone 17 pro max techwoven

Here Are The Best Cases You Can Buy for Your New iPhone 17 and iPhone Air

Friday September 19, 2025 6:46 am PDT by
Apple's new iPhones launch today, and there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to protecting your new device from drops and scratches. In this article, we're taking a look at some of the best options for iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Air cases, as well as a few charging accessories. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iphone 17 pro inside

iPhone 17 Teardowns Confirm SIM and eSIM-Only Battery Capacities

Friday September 19, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
YouTube channel REWA Technology today shared an iPhone 17 Pro teardown video, offering a closer look inside the model with a SIM card tray. We are still waiting for repair website iFixit to share a more comprehensive teardown of the latest iPhone models, but this video provides a good look in the meantime. The device features various internal design changes, including larger rear camera...