14 DAY TRIAL // Google’s 3-hour keynote during the first day of Google I/O event covered lots of new products and improvements that the search giant planned to roll out in the following weeks.
Some of these are already available for download or purchase, while others will be gradually released for those interested in Google’s services.
One such service that’s been offered for free to Android users is the possibility to edit, create or delete documents while on the go. However, users did not benefit from native Office editing features. Instead, every MS Office document received via Drive had to be converted to Google Docs.
Well, the good news is that Google has just announced that beginning this week, those who are using its Docs and Sheets apps for Android or any other compatible platform will benefit from native Office editing:
“With this release, you can now work on any document, at any time, on any device, both with and without an Internet connection,” said Ryan Tabone, director of product management.
Basically, you will not need Office installed on your device to be able to edit files created in Microsoft’s application. Both the web and mobile apps for Docs, Sheets and Slides now allow users to edit Office files without having to convert them.
This means that you can edit the files you receive and then send them back in their original format even if you don’t have Office installed and without conversion.
Google has confirmed that its mobile versions of Docs, Sheets and Slides now come with built-in Office editing; the same goes for Chrome, which now has an extension that lets users take advantage of these features as well.
While we’re at it, Android users may also want to know that Google has added a new feature to its Docs app called Suggested Edits. The new feature is now available for anyone with commenting access in Google Docs on the web, but it will be released for Android users very soon.
Last but not least, Google has finally released the Slides application for Android, which allows users to make presentations while on the go. The company released Docs and Sheets several weeks ago and promised that the Slides app would also be available for download later on.
So, you can now download Google Slides for Android for free via Google Play Store. Keep in mind that the application should be fully compatible with all devices powered by Android 4.0 and up.