I use neither iPhone nor Outlook, so I can't give specific advice. But my email client has similar behavior, but I can edit the email address by double-clicking it. So try all the usual suspects: double-clicking, right-clicking, click-and-type, summon Zeus.
Thanks for checking! The Outlook client I use is the Web-based version. When I click or double-click the email address, a larger "contact card" box pops up. Right-clicking produces a context menu with the options "Remove", "Copy", "Cut", or "Open contact card" (which is the same as clicking).
On the iPhone's native mail client, clicking the email address highlights (selects) it. Double-clicking it drops down a list of email addresses allowing me to select one (which there is only one choice in this case). Clicking and dragging moves the email address around, allowing for changing fields, like TO:, CC:, etc.
None of these options allows editing the actual text of the email address. It's as if an immutable object is created once you are done typing the address.
I just tried the native client on my iphone and Outlook on my work computer and in both I'm able to backspace to delete addresses from the To line. I've never seen the behavior you're describing.
Hey James, I'm able to delete the email address by backspacing. The issue is that I'd rather be able to edit the email address I've already typed out (but maybe with a typo somewhere). Rather than having to delete the whole entry and re-type it. I totally understand that this isn't really a big deal, I'm just trying to understand why this is programmed like this. What is the benefit of not being able to edit the email address. And the fact that this behavior is identical in both Output (Microsoft product), and iPhone Mail app (Apple), it seems to be an industry standard. So there must be a real good reason.
What about the context menu or double-clicking? That works in Thunderbird.
As for the “why”, you must ask the developers. However, I myself see that as neutral or improvement. Of course any change may break one’s workflow, but that alone is not an argument. You may subjectively like it better,(1) and I may accept that, but that doesn’t mean that workflow is objectively better. In particular correcting errors is known to be flawed and rewriting the entire fragment happens to be superior. Avoiding writing email addresses by hand is even better. So in this case you may give it a try and see how you feel about that in a month or two.
(1) Not only may, but probably will. Interfering with habits usually produces reaction that is biased towards the old behavior.
This is an interesting point. I was not aware of the theory that correcting errors is known to be flawed. Is there any reference to more information about this? I'm curious. But it could definitely explain this situation.
Thanks for allowing me to rant about this.
-Marcus