Snippet: Microsoft’s New Office App for iPhone ☇

Tom Warren for The Verge:

Microsoft is releasing its new unified Office app for iOS and Android today, which combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single application. The software maker first started beta-testing this new Office app as a hub for all things Office mobile back in November, and now, anyone can download and install it. Microsoft has focused on surfacing some of the more mobile-friendly parts of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into quick actions that let you get stuff done on the go.

All of the main apps are combined, meaning you can switch between documents quickly, scan PDFs, and even capture whiteboards, text, and tables into digital versions. Microsoft is also adding support for third-party cloud storage like Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud. Today’s release will also be available on Android tablets with “limited support,” and a fully optimized tablet experience will be available on both iPadOS and Android soon.

I use Microsoft Office on iOS quite a bit and it’s my favorite version of Office, even if it lacks every feature imaginable. When I had heard that Microsoft was toying with an optional all-in-one version that would simplify things a bit, I was curious to check it out. In some instances, this will be a really appreciated version and can grow and develop in a mobile-first way, while the traditional Office apps that are separate can act more like their desktop counterparts.

Even though Microsoft may have lost out on mobile operating systems to Apple and Google, they certainly are doing some interesting work and adding value to both platforms.