14 DAY TRIAL // Android has become quite a target for Microsoft, as the Redmond-based tech giant is trying to become a more important player in mobile by bringing most of its apps and services on this platform.
And it’s no wonder why. Statistics put Android at more than 80 percent market share, and just like Windows Phone fans have found out the hard way, developers go where users are, so it’s no surprise that Microsoft is betting so big on Android.
In the past, Microsoft has often been praised for the quality of its apps on Android, and most of them experienced record number of downloads, including here the Office productivity suite.
A new report, however, shows that Google apps are actually more popular than Microsoft’s on Android, with just one exception: Excel. It looks like Excel has more US monthly active users than Google Sheets, which is Google’s own rival to Microsoft’s app.
OneDrive, Microsoft’s top Android app
Leaving Excel aside, Google clearly has more users than Microsoft on Android, and if you’re wondering why, there’s just one reason.
Google is the owner of Android and offering an integrated experience is much more important for users (while also coming in handy). This could also be one of the aims with Microsoft’s continued focus on Android - give users access to services and hope to see them moving to Windows for the same integrated experience.
“Our panel of active users shows that as Excel’s usage grew over time, other Microsoft apps were in decline, had short-lived growth spurts around updates, or had no change in active users. Uncoupling and marketing Excel as a standalone app has served well for Microsoft in gaining new active users and competing with other apps in the category,” 7parkdata reveals in a research.
As far as Microsoft’s own apps are concerned, it looks like OneDrive is the most popular on Android, followed by Excel, Word, Outlook, and OneNote. For what it’s worth, all of these apps are also available on iOS and even on Windows phones (because it would be really awkward not to be).
Thanks for the tip, Hyenna1! (nice nickname, by the way)
