Microsoft is preparing to push an update for the Outlook app on Android later this month to support the new device password complexity functionality included within Android 10 and later.
As per Microsoft, with Android 10, Google also announced deprecation of Device Admin, which was previously used to manage device password settings defined in an Exchange mobile device mailbox policy.
With each operating system version release, Google includes new APIs in which apps can target for supporting new functionality offered in the operating system release. Until apps target those APIs, they are not able to take advantage of that functionality.
Starting with Android 10, when a user launches the Outlook app, it will automatically query the device’s (or the work profile’s) screen lock complexity.
Android 10’s password complexity levels are defined as:
| Password complexity level | Password requirements |
| None | No password requirements are configured |
| Low | Password can be a pattern or a PIN with either repeating (4444) or ordered (1234, 4321, 2468) sequences |
| Medium | Passwords that meet one of the following criteria: – PIN with no repeating (4444) or ordered (1234, 4321, 2468) sequences with a minimum length of 4 characters – Alphabetic passwords with a minimum length of 4 characters – Alphanumeric passwords with a minimum length of 4 characters |
| High | Passwords that meet one of the following criteria: – PIN with no repeating (4444) or ordered (1234, 4321, 2468) sequences with a minimum length of 8 characters – Alphabetic passwords with a minimum length of 6 characters – Alphanumeric passwords with a minimum length of 6 characters |
If Android determines that Outlook requires a stronger screen lock, then Outlook directs the user to the system screen lock settings, allowing the user to update the security settings to become compliant:
More information on the topic can be found here on this page
