Microsoft has released a version of its
Office Mobile app for Android smartphones, following a similar release on iPhone
last month. The new app, usable on Android smartphones running version 4.0 or later of the mobile operating system, will be free to use for subscribers of
Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 ProPlus.
The Android app allows for the viewing of documents created on other devices, synchronized through the SkyDrive cloud storage. Though it allows for the creation of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents, the small screen size really makes the app intended more for viewing than making. The Office
blog mentions that the app will not work on Android tablets, instead recommending the use of
Office Web Apps on the device instead.
The app itself is free to download and install through Google play, but requires the user to log into their existing Office 365 account in order to actually use the app. Most Office 365 subscriptions will allow the same account credentials to be used on up to five mobile devices, though this does not count Windows Phone devices with Office Mobile pre-installed, nor the Office 365
University subscription, which limits the user to two devices.
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