Microsoft makes Office apps available for Android smartphones

Microsoft has officially released the Office apps Word, Excel and PowerPoint after a preview period for Android smartphone users. The apps are free, but full functionality requires an Office 365 subscription.

Microsoft has taken the preview stamp of Word, Excel and PowerPoint and made the apps available to everyone in the Play Store. The introduction follows the roll-out of the preview versions in mid-May, while the versions for only tablets with Android appeared in January.

According to Microsoft, the apps were tested on 1900 different Android devices in 83 countries during the preview. Based on feedback, the group would have decided to improve the connection with third-party storage services, such as Google Drive and Box.

Microsoft makes it possible with the apps to view and edit documents and show presentations from the Android phone. Office 365 is required for extended functionality, such as creating and editing on tablets with a screen larger than 10.1 inches. Many manufacturers of Android smartphones, such as Samsung, LG and Sony, already put the apps on certain devices from the factory.

The apps follow on from Office Mobile launched on Android two years ago and require Android 4.4 or later versions to install.