Microsoft has released updates to their suite of Office apps for Android, bringing several new features to each of the apps. The updates are for Excel, PowerPoint and Word and while some features are unique to each app, there are some common improvements across all of them. One of those is the ability to send a file to someone as a PDF. Before this update, you were not able to share a file in any other format than the native Office format. Now when you go to share a file as an attachment, you can still do that or you can send it as a PDF.
In Microsoft Excel and Word, you also can now insert a photo directly from your Camera app. This new feature allows you to open your camera directly from within Excel or Word, snap the photo, and it is automatically inserted into your spreadsheet or document. You can then, like any other photo that you have inserted, resize and manipulate the photo.
Along with these common changes across the apps, there are some unique features to specific Office apps that come in this release. Those include:
Microsoft Word For Android
- Save files in RTF format in Word
- Convert a table to a range in Excel
- Morph transition in PowerPoint (only available if you are an Office 365 subscriber)
The updates to the Office apps are all a part of the continued effort by Microsoft to close the gap between features on the desktop and the mobile device. Make no mistake, there is still a gap, but it is closing rapidly when you consider where these apps were just a year ago. Back then, they are little more than a file reader and simple editor.
If you have the Microsoft Office apps installed on your phone or tablet, the updates should be coming to you over the course of the next few days via an OTA update. If you don’t have them installed, you can find them in the Google Play Store and they are free to download (although some features require an Office 365 subscription).
Microsoft Excel for Android – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now
Microsoft Word for Android – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now
Microsoft PowerPoint for Android – Free (In-App Purchases) – Download Now
