Company wants users to stick with web apps for now

Aug 26, 2021 06:46 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is working around the clock on improving the Office experience on all fronts, and most recently, the company has made the decision to retire the Android versions of the productivity suite from Chromebooks.

In other words, if you run ChromeOS and used the Android versions of Office apps, you will no longer be able to do this, as Microsoft is pulling the plug on this approach next month.

On the other hand, the Redmond-based software giant hopes users would stick with web apps, therefore relying on the browser version of the productivity suite to work with documents on their Chromebooks.

If you launch an Android Office app on a Chromebook, you should now see a message telling you that “we’re no longer supporting or updating this version of the Office app. For the best, up-to-date experience on this device, switch to Office.com.”

Switch taking place next month

According to a Microsoft statement sent to AboutChromebooks, the retirement date for Android Office apps on Chromebooks is September 18.

“In an effort to provide the most optimized experience for Chrome OS/Chromebook customers, Microsoft apps (Office and Outlook) will be transitioned to web experiences (Office.com and Outlook.com) on September 18, 2021. This transition brings Chrome OS/Chromebook customers access to additional and premium features. Customers will need to sign in with their personal Microsoft Account or account associated with their Microsoft 365 subscription,” the company explained.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean the Android versions of Office are being ditched, but only that Microsoft wants Chromebook users to switch to the web experience going forward.

The Office apps on Android will continue to be updated and supported, especially as Microsoft is now an Android device manufacturer in the first place. Furthermore, the Office apps for Android come pre-installed on a number of devices, including on Samsung’s mobile phones and on the Surface Duo.