Microsoft Releases Unified Android App for Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Microsoft has finally released the stable version of the unified office app that combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into one application for Android. The app called Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint & More is now available on the Play Store. Microsoft has been working on this all-in-one app solution since early 2019 and after privately and publicly testing it, has now made it available in a stable version to the public. But, there is a catch. Right now, tablets and Chromebooks are not supported by the app as there is no tablet-specific UI.

The Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint & More app for Android app allows users to work on Word documents, Excel sheets, and PowerPoint presentations without having to switch apps. It also enables searching through files saved on the cloud, be it Microsoft's OneDrive or other third party cloud storage services.

Some of the app's key features include document creation by allowing users to take a picture of a document and turn it into an editable Word file. Similarly, a photo of a table can be converted into an Excel spreadsheet. It integrates Office Lens features for creating digital images of documents and whiteboards. Further, PowerPoint can help in designing presentations by just selecting pictures on the phone. Users can now scan QR codes to open links from the Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint & More app.

At the moment, tablets and Chromebooks are not supported by the app and there is no confirmation from Microsoft as to when that would happen. According to the report by Android Police, the app is locked in portrait mode and does not have a dedicated tablet user interface (UI). Some users on the Play Store have also expressed their concerns over the lack of tablet support. In a statement to Android Police, Microsoft said it “has nothing to share at this time” about the tablet support. Hence, the tablet and Chromebook users will have to continue relying on the separate Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for the time being.