Microsoft has refreshed its Office for devices suite, making an Office 365 subscription no longer necessary to create and edit documents and store them in the cloud.
The firm is also giving Android users the same functionality iPad users were getting. The updates also apply to iPhone users, allowing the creation and editing of Office content without a subscription.
John Case, the corporate VP of Microsoft Office, thinks that the updates will greatly improve Office functionality for all kinds of mobile users.
He said: "Anytime someone has an idea or an inspiration, we want to empower them to take action.
"With over a billion Office customers worldwide, and over 40 million downloads on the iPad, it’s clear that Office applications are what people want to use to get things done."
Note that the Office apps for Android tablets is only in the preview stage, but will eventually bring the ‘productivity’ of Word, Excel and PowerPoint to Android users. Customers can sign up to the preview starting today, but general availability is not expected until early 2015.
The news comes after Microsoft announced a partnership with Dropbox, giving iPad users the ability to store Office document in a Dropbox account from their device.
Microsoft will still be charging for an Office 365 subscription for users wanting to edit documents that are stored on OneDrive for Business and Dropbox for business.
