Microsoft has rolled out Office apps including Word, PowerPoint and Excel for Android smartphones – the preview versions of which were released earlier in May.
“Today I’m pleased to announce the general availability of the new Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for Android phone. These join our previously released Office apps for Android tablets to complete the Office experience for the millions of Android users around the world. Download Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your Android phone today to get started,” Microsoft’s Kirk Koenigsbauer noted in a Wednesday blog post announcing the release.
Using the three Office apps, users will be able to open, edit and save Microsoft Word files, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets right from their Android phones. They will also be able to access documents stored in OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Box. The apps are free with a free Microsoft account.
Despite being in preview for just five weeks, the Redmond claimed it has been able to test the Office suite on around 1,900 handsets in 83 countries and has been able to incorporate changes based on user suggestions received during the preview period. For example, Microsoft said it has made it now easier for users to connect to other popular third-party storage offerings like Google Drive and Box, as well as made many usability adjustments to make it easier to navigate commands within the apps.
Microsoft also announced that it has partnered with many Android OEMs like Samsung, Sony and LG to launch their smartphones with the Microsoft suite of apps pre-loaded. Many of these devices will be landing in retail stores sometime later this year.
The software giant has revealed that in order to use the apps, users will need a smartphone that sports at least 1 GB of RAM and anything older than Android 4.4 KitKat. Also they will need an Office 365 subscription to use the advanced features.
Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Android smartphone apps are currently available for download free of charge from Google Play.
