A user on Twitter has stumbled onto a new and as-yet-unannounced feature for Outlook.com: The ability to add a Gmail account and access it separately from the Outlook.com and without importing messages.

“You can now add your Gmail account on Outlook.com!” Florian B tweeted, along with the screenshot displayed above.

He reports that the integration works as it does in Outlook Mobile, with separate inboxes for each account (one each for Outlook.com and Gmail). It also integrates with Google Drive, he says.

So this is good news: I’ve been wondering when Microsoft would turn Outlook.com into a real web app that can replace its desktop applications, and this is a great first step. Next up, of course, is offline access. And at that point, Microsoft can EOL the terrible Mail app in Windows 10 and replace it with an Outlook.com PWA.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Tagged with Gmail