14 DAY TRIAL // In a surprising move, Microsoft has announced that the Mobile 365 suite of applications will be available for free beginning today. Although Microsoft Mobile has been available for download free of charge since its release on Google Play Store, those who wanted to create new documents had to pay for subscription.
Android users had to sign in with a free Microsoft account to create, edit and save documents for home use. Thankfully, the qualifying Office 365 subscription required to create, edit and save documents for business use has been removed by Microsoft.
It’s unclear what will happen with those who have applied for qualifying plans such as Office 365 Small Business Premium, Office 365 Midsize Business, Office 365 Enterprise E3 and E4 (Enterprise and Government), Office 365 Education A3 and A4, and Office 365 ProPlus.
“Just like Office Mobile for Windows Phone, we are making Office Mobile for iPhone and Android phones free for everyone. With Office Mobile, you have the ability to view and edit your Office content on the go,” says Microsoft in a blog post.
With the latest version of Microsoft Office Mobile, Android users will be able to access documents while on the move. No matter where you are, as long as you have a stable connection to the Internet, you will be able to check out you documents stored in the cloud.
The Office Mobile package allows users to read Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents directly from their Android smartphones. According to Microsoft, Office Mobile has been optimized for the small screen, so users should have no issues reading documents while on the move.
Another important feature that comes with Microsoft Office Mobile allows users to make quick edits and share. Creating new Word and Excel documents directly on the phone is possible as well. You can also review comments that have been made in Word and Excel documents on your phone and even add your own.
Aside from making all of Microsoft Office Mobile’s features free, the latest update brings some bug fixes and stability improvements, but no additional details have been offered on any of these.
On a side note, Microsoft has confirmed that Office Mobile for iPhone is available for free as well, so Apple fans will be able to benefit from the same features as Android users, for free.
You can now download Microsoft Office Mobile for Android 15.0.2720.2000 for free via Google Play Store. The application should be fully compatible with all devices powered by Android 4.0 and up.