Mobility Features and Capabilities
Topic Last Modified: 2011-11-28
The mobility feature in Lync Server 2010 supports Lync functionality on mobile devices. When you deploy the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Mobility Service, users can use supported Apple iOS, Android, Windows Phone, or Nokia mobile devices to perform such activities as sending and receiving instant messages, viewing contacts, and viewing presence. In addition, mobile devices support some Enterprise Voice features, such as click to join a conference, Call via Work, single number reach, voice mail, and missed calls.
Tip
With single number reach, a user receives calls on a mobile phone that were dialed to the work number. With Call via Work, the user places an outbound call from a mobile phone by using a work phone number instead of the mobile phone number. To use Call via Work, a user can either dial directly from the mobile phone or use dial-out conferencing. With dial-out conferencing, the user in effect requests the Mobility Service to make the call for them. The server initiates the call and then calls the user back on the mobile phone. When the user answers, the server completes the call by dialing the other party. By using Call via Work, users can maintain their work identity during a call, which means that the call recipient does not see the caller's mobile number, and the caller avoids incurring outbound calling charges.
Note
Not all features work exactly the same on all mobile devices. For details about features supported on mobile devices, see Mobile Client Comparison Tables. For details about supported devices and operating systems, see the requirements topics under Planning for Mobile Clients.
When you use the Microsoft Lync Server 2010 Autodiscover Service along with the Mobility Service, mobile applications can automatically locate Lync Server Web Services without requiring users to manually enter the URLs in their device settings. Manually entering URLs in mobile device settings is also supported, primarily for troubleshooting purposes.
The mobility feature also supports push notifications for mobile devices that do not support applications running in the background. A push notification is a notification that is sent to a mobile device about an event that occurs while a mobile application is inactive. Examples of events that can result in a push notification are missed instant messaging (IM) invitations or missed calls.
The Mobility Service, Autodiscover Service, and support for push notifications are provided in the cumulative update for Lync Server 2010: November 2011.