Microsoft has officially released its new Office app for Android having had it in beta testing for a few months. The app combines Word, Excel and PowerPoint into one app with OneDrive cloud storage.
All four apps it integrates are available separately with added features but for most people’s needs this new Office app makes a lot more sense.
The app is still in beta for iOS, though the track was full at the time of writing.
Office for Android is designed to help you get to your documents faster for editing on the go with other functions like PDF editing and signing, converting images into text or tables and quick transfer to your computer or to other phones.
As pointed out by Android Police, the app does not support Android tablets or Chromebooks running the Play Store. Microsoft told the publication it “has nothing to share at this time” regarding support for either platform, so this is likely to stay as a phone-only update.
It shows that Microsoft has successfully pivoted its Office products onto mobile and is continuing to embrace the changes ways we all work. It’s a far cry from when former CEO Steve Ballmer apparently refused to let Office go to iPad for fear of losing out on hardware sales (though this story has been rebuked by some).