What you need to know
- Microsoft has announced Loop, a new app for its growing collection of Office apps.
- Loop will make it easier for people who work remotely by giving them access to components, pages, and workspaces that can move between apps.
- Loop will begin appearing in Outlook, OneNote, and Teams this month.
Microsoft has announced its competitor to Notion in the form of Loop, a new app that is designed to help people work remotely as part of the hybrid work world we live in today.
According to a report by The Verge, Loop is a rebrand of the existing Fluid, with people able to take advantage of collaborative Microsoft Office content that can be used across multiple apps.
Much like Fluid, Microsoft Loop has three main elements: Loop components, Loop pages, and Loop workspaces. Loop components are live pieces of content that can exist across multiple apps, updated in real time and free for anyone to jump into. That could be a list shared in a Teams channel and also editable in a Loop page, or notes in a calendar entry that are also available to be pasted into Outlook and edited in real time within an email.
It all sounds promising, with all Microsoft Loop components also existing in a central hub that Microsoft is calling workspaces. Pages are areas where people can share and collaborate on individual Loop components, too.
Microsoft describes Loop thus:
Microsoft Loop, a new app that moves freely across applications, enabling teams to think, plan and create together. You can organize everything you need for your project – files, links and data from other apps – into a single workspace. It is easy to use portable components to complete work in chat, meetings or documents, knowing that the content always stays in sync.
All of this will begin appearing in Outlook, OneNote, and Teams this month while the Microsoft Loop app proper will arrive at some point in the future. When that will be isn't clear at this point, unfortunately.
