Microsoft Outlook is a remarkably popular and extensively utilized email and productivity application, catering to users across different platforms. The calendar feature is at the heart of its functionality, an essential tool empowering individuals to handle their schedules adeptly. This integral component lets users set reminders conveniently, send invitations to attendees, and stay informed with timely notifications for upcoming events.
Since Microsoft has changed the mail and app calendar retirement dates, a recent update has brought about a considerable inconvenience for users of Android 13, specifically impacting the functionality of the Microsoft Outlook calendar shortcut widget. According to Piunika.Web, users have reported sudden issues where the widget has ceased to work or respond as expected.
As a result, many users have opted to remove the shortcut from their home screens. However, when attempting to re-add the Outlook calendar shortcut widget on Android 13 devices, they encounter a discouraging message stating, “Shortcut isn’t available.”
This issue surfaced shortly after the June 5, 2023, update and has persisted even after the release of the June 27 update.
Consequently, users are growing increasingly frustrated due to the lack of a prompt resolution. The bug prevents them from conveniently accessing their calendars. It forces them to follow a two-step process: launching the Outlook app and selecting “Calendar” at the bottom of the screen.
uservLeUABr9aP on Samsung Community posted
A few days ago my Outlook 1×1 calendar shortcut widget stopped responding, and once removed I was no longer able to add it back to my home screen. Trying to add it results in the widget showing briefly for a split of a second then disappearing again.
Another user hwa222, posted this on answers.microsoft.com:
The Outlook calendar shortcut widget on my cell phone stopped working suddenly. I used it frequently. I removed it from my home screen and then tried to reinstall it by moving it from the list of available Outlook widgets back to the home screen. (press, hold, and drag the icon) When I do that, I get a message with the Microsoft logo that the “Shortcut isn’t available.”
Affected users have diligently tried to resolve the issue by attempting various troubleshooting methods. These include verifying all app updates and clearing the cache for all Microsoft apps. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, the problem remains unresolved.
It appears that the issue primarily impacts Samsung devices. However, it’s important to mention that there have been instances where users of Google Pixel (1,2) have also encountered the same problem.
Issue acknowledgment
Microsoft support’s Glenn Rue has acknowledged the bug’s existence, which is a positive development. However, there is currently no estimated time for implementing a fix. The malfunctioning calendar shortcut widget has significantly disrupted users’ productivity, requiring them to invest extra time and effort to access their calendars.
We remain hopeful that Microsoft will release a patch to rectify the bug soon. Until then, users must continue with the less efficient two-step process to access their calendars.
