On Thursday, Microsoft launched Excel, PowerPoint and Word apps for the iPhone, allowing users to create and edit Office-based content without the need for a subscription. The company also updated the iPad apps that were released earlier this year and launched a "preview" program for Excel, PowerPoint and Word apps for Android tablets.
"Office 365 subscribers will continue to benefit from the full Office experience across devices with advanced editing and collaboration capabilities, unlimited OneDrive storage, Dropbox integration and a number of other benefits," said John Case, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Office.
According to the Word app for Apple's iPhone, customers without a subscription can create and perform basic editing for free. However, subscribers will receive premium features such as Dropbox support, which was announced earlier this week, the ability to add or remove chart elements, coauthoring, printing straight from the phone, tracking changes and more.
Adding a Dropbox account in Word is rather easy. Simply tap on the Account button at the bottom, choose the "Add a Service" option under "Connected Devices," and then choose the Dropbox option. This will lead to a sign-in page in the Safari browser. Once that is completed, Dropbox will send users two emails confirming the device (iPhone) and app (Word) additions.
As for the Android apps, they're expected to be available for mass consumption in early 2015. However, as previously stated, customers can sign up for the preview. Android fans simply provide their name, email address, and list the type of tablet that will be used. Microsoft will email these customers once a spot in the preview program opens up.
"Our vision of Office everywhere wouldn't be complete without Windows, so I'm pleased to confirm that new, touch-optimized Office apps for Windows 10 are in the works and we'll have more to share soon," John Case teased.
The move to bring Office to Android and iPhone is part of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's vision of a "mobile first, cloud first" approach, which steers away from former CEO Steve Ballmer's "devices and services" direction. Bringing Office apps to all devices is simply brilliant, as it means Microsoft could possibly score new subscriptions from customers wanting a bit more than simple editing.
Customers using an iPad or iPhone will need to have their device updated to iOS 7.0 or later. As of press time, the signup sheet for Office on Android either crashed or was pulled for some reason, so keep checking back.
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