14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is very committed to improving its Android apps up to the point where everyone uses them, and by the looks of things, this strategy is slowly but surely gaining traction.
The company’s very own Microsoft Office productivity suite has reached a new milestone on Android, as all apps that are included in the pack exceeded 500 million downloads on the Google Play Store.
Microsoft Word reached the same threshold earlier this year, and now both Excel and PowerPoint got past beyond this record as well. This means Microsoft Office as a whole has more than 1 billion downloads on Android on the Google Play store, and if the same trend is maintained, there’s a good chance that this figure doubles in less than 12 months.
However, the overall download count for Office on Android is likely substantial bigger, as the 500 million install figure only concerns hits on the Google Play Store.
Apps can also be installed using standalone APK files on Android, and given that many users prefer to manage their apps without relying on the Google Play Store, Office apps may be running on many more devices.
Microsoft’s Android push
At the same time, this also shows that Microsoft strategy for conquering Android is working neatly. Not only that many users download its apps from the Google Play Store, but they continue running them when buying devices that come with the Office productivity suite pre-installed.
Microsoft has signed deals with several important Android OEMs, including Samsung, to pre-install a number of apps, including Skype, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, on their devices.
Furthermore, Microsoft itself is currently selling several Android devices in its own stores, most of them shipping with the said apps pre-loaded. Samsung’s phones, the Razer Phone, and a bunch of other models can all be found at the Microsoft Store in the United States.
You can download Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint APK files for Android using these links.