Ruler Feature Disappeared from Microsoft Word on Android Tablet

Based on Microsoft’s current feature documentation, the ruler is not a supported control in Word for Android tablets. The official ruler instructions apply to desktop Word on Windows and macOS, while the Android guidance covers paragraph indentation and spacing but does not provide View > Ruler. So this is unlikely to be a subscription or reinstall issue.

The ruler appearing briefly after first install was probably a temporary UI state or experiment, not something you can reliably restore. I would avoid installing old APKs: they can introduce security and compatibility problems, and there is no supported Android version I can recommend for this feature.

For simple layout work, use the paragraph indent and spacing controls in the Android app. If he needs tab stops and ruler-based positioning, try Word for the web in desktop-site mode; for reliable access, use desktop Word on Windows or macOS. Also send feedback from Word’s Help/Feedback menu so Microsoft receives the tablet model and app-version details.