14 DAY TRIAL // Continuum is undoubtedly one of the most important features of Windows 10 Mobile, and Microsoft has put a lot of effort not only into its development but also into marketing, as it really wants people to know that a phone can now become a PC wherever they want.
One of the key capabilities of Continuum is allowing users to work on their documents right on their phones thanks to the Office universal apps that can adjust to the screen size and make it possible to have Word, Excel, and PowerPoint available on the go.
But Microsoft is very close to ruining this really helpful feature by making the options to edit documents on Continuum available for a fee.
Free until March 31, 2016
Basically, starting April 1, 2016, Windows 10 Mobile users who’ll want to edit the documents stored on their phones or in their OneDrive accounts using Continuum will need to purchase an Office 365 subscription. Otherwise, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be nothing more than document viewers.
Microsoft hasn’t discussed this change too much, but it certainly causes more frustration among Windows 10 Mobile users, who expected to receive the full capabilities of Continuum at no additional price. Especially in the case of Lumia 950 and 950 XL users, as they already pay almost $700 for their devices, only to find out that an Office 365 subscription is then needed to work on their documents with Continuum.
The very same approach is available on Android and iOS devices too, and users are required to purchase an Office 365 subscription for editing capabilities, but one would expect Microsoft to give its customers the possibility of working with documents without having to pay.
Needless to say, this comment posted on the official Office blog says pretty much all about how some users might actually see this sudden change:
“Wait, what? So, just because I have a device with Windows 10 Mobile and is capable of Continuum (a feature that I find COMPLETELY useless and have no intention of wasting my time with) you’re going to force me to subscribe to Office 365? Am I understand that correctly? If that’s the case, you need to come up with a way to allow users to completely disable Continuum.”