Introducing Office – Your new go-to mobile app for getting work done
Published Nov 04 2019 06:00 AM 235K Views
Microsoft

February 19, 2020 Update: The Office app has now reached general availability and is free for anyone to download through the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store for Android. Please read our latest post on the Microsoft 365 Blog for more information.

 

Today we are excited to share a new vision for how people get work done on a phone – a new app that’s ambitious enough to simply be called Office.

 

Download for Android (public preview) 

Update on iOS public preview: Per the terms of Apple’s TestFlight program, the public preview for iOS apps is restricted to a maximum capacity of 10,000 users. We saw extraordinarily strong interest in the Office app and reached the capacity limit for iOS within a few hours of today’s announcement. We are thrilled and flattered by the interest and look forward to reaching general availability of the app for everyone to use. The public preview for the Android version of the Office app is not subject to the same download limits and continues to be available for download.

 

 

Vision for working on mobile devices

We all rely on mobile devices more than ever for getting work done whether that’s at a job, at home, or at school. There are many great mobile productivity apps available such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to help us do that, however we still believe an opportunity exists to create a more mobile-centric experience for these types of apps.


The new Office mobile app represents our vision for what a productivity solution would look like if first built for mobile devices. In designing this new experience, we first considered how people’s expectations differ when using a phone versus a computer, so we set out to optimize for simplicity, efficiency, and common mobile needs. Next, we explored how to better incorporate the unique ways that people input data and create content on a mobile device – essentially turning the phone form factor from a liability for doing work into an asset. Finally, we needed to ensure that this app met the high expectations people already have for Office solutions. This solution should feel familiar to the people that know and rely on them today and instill a sense of confidence that they can accomplish their work with the high degree of quality and security that they have come to know.

 

A new mobile productivity experience

We are excited to introduce to our solution to this endeavor. The Office app provides a simple, integrated experience that puts the tools you need for working on a mobile device at the forefront of the experience. We started by combining the existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint mobile apps into a single app. Doing so brings all of your Office documents together in one place, reduces the need to switch between multiple apps, and significantly reduces the amount of space used on your phone compared to multiple installed apps. We then added new capabilities that harness the strengths of mobile devices, such as the camera, to enable you to create content in uniquely mobile ways. Finally, we added a new Actions Pane that helps you accomplish many of the common mobile tasks you need to do all from one place.

 

Whether using it for personal or professional reasons, Office is designed to be your go-to app for getting work done on a mobile device. Let’s take a closer look at what makes it different:

  • Simple, integrated experience
    • Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all in one app with all of the mobile features you already know and use.
    • Easily get to recent and recommended documents stored in the cloud or on your device, or search for documents across your organization if using a work account.
    • Easy access to Sticky Notes to jot down quick reminders and ideas.

 

On the Home screen, view your recent Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files or create a new one.On the Home screen, view your recent Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files or create a new one.

 

  • Create content in uniquely mobile ways
    • Snap a picture of a document and turn it into an editable Word file with the press of a button.
    • Transform a picture of a table into an Excel spreadsheet so you can work with the data.
    • Let PowerPoint help you design a presentation by simply selecting the pictures you want to use from your phone.
    • Create automatically enhanced digital images of whiteboards and documents with Office Lens features integrated into the app.

 Convert a picture of a table into an editable Excel spreadsheet.Convert a picture of a table into an editable Excel spreadsheet.

  • A new Actions pane for common tasks you may encounter on a mobile device
    • Create PDFs with your camera, using photos on your device, or from Office documents.
    • Sign PDFs by simply using your finger.
    • Scan QR codes to open files and links.
    • Easily transfer files between your phone and computer or share instantly with nearby mobile devices.

 

Use the new integrated Actions pane to take care of several common mobile tasks, like signing a PDF.Use the new integrated Actions pane to take care of several common mobile tasks, like signing a PDF.

 

Now available in public preview

The Office mobile app is available in public preview starting today for Android and iOS*. It is super easy to get started with the app – anyone can download and use it for free and we don’t require a sign-in to start using it. However, logging in with a work, school, or personal Microsoft Account gives you access to your files stored in the cloud, and you can sign in with more than one account to make it easy to get to all of your documents in one place.

 

The app is currently available only on phones, although we will bring this experience to tablets as well. Since this is a public preview, we are very interested in hearing from you about what you like, don’t like, or would like to see in the app so we encourage you to provide feedback through the “Help & Feedback” tool under Settings. We continue to work hard on making the app an even more powerful tool for getting work done, so keep an eye out for more to come with Office.

 

We know many people are probably wondering, what does this mean for the current mobile apps? In short, we will continue to support and invest in the existing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint mobile apps. We are proud that millions of people use and depend on these apps every day and we believe everyone should decide which experience works best for them on their phones. However, we do encourage everyone to give the new Office app a try – we think it will change your expectations for what you think a mobile productivity experience should be.

 

No other app combines the simplicity, efficiency, and capability for getting work done on a phone quite like Office. Get started now on Android and stayed tuned for further updates on availability for iOS*!

 

 

* Please note: Per the terms of Apple’s TestFlight program, the public preview is capped at 10,000 users. We reached this limit on the first day of availability and the public preview for iOS is no longer available to new users. 

42 Comments
Copper Contributor

For tablets with a screen size larger than 10.1 inches, will an Office 365 subscription still be required to use the editing features of this app?

Copper Contributor

The iOS link takes you to an Apple page in Japanese. 

Copper Contributor

...der erste Eindruck ist echt super. Super Ideen umgesetzt. ..

 

Copper Contributor

Not optimized for iPad yet. Also would be great if we could get a macOS Catalyst (iPad apps on macOS) version for those who have smaller storage and don't want to install the full versions on their Macs.

Steel Contributor

I'm already in the test flight beta process with iOS, but the latest excel version listed there is 2.31.19102802). Is this a different testflight beta, or is it just not pushed out yet?

Copper Contributor

I have a windows 950XL mobile. How do I get Office on my device?

Brass Contributor

My impression was that Notes in Outlook is a deprecated feature, but in this app they appear prominently as Sticky Notes.

 

Does this mean they're back in Outlook in the future as well, or what is the story with these? 

Brass Contributor

Is this built with the intune sdk? If so I need to make it a targeted app in the App Protection policies. Seems I can get to corporate data and it is not protected.

Copper Contributor

A business card scanner that can create CRM Dynamics 365 and/or Outlook contacts would be a nice add on for the App.

Copper Contributor

"Doing so brings all of your Office documents together in one place, reduces the need to switch between multiple apps ...". That's what we call multitasking. The possibility to switch between word, excel and powerpoint files is essential for business users. As long as it is not possible to open the same app twice (at least on Iphone), that's a huge step backwards. My only hope ist that you continue to support and invest in the existing word, excel, and powerpoint mobile apps ... 

Copper Contributor

Looks like the beta is full already

Copper Contributor

I have one question regarding the Notes. Where is it stored?

 

Brass Contributor

Hi all, my manager is trying to use the iOS app, but since we have APP (App Protection Policies) & Conditional access setup based on "Approved Apps" I am looking for the bundle-id of the Office app.

Next to that, is the new Office app considered an Approved app, as most of the other Office apps (Word, Excel, etc)?

Copper Contributor
Copper Contributor

O programa de Beta Tester para iOS está cheio, alguma possibilidade de entrar em uma lista para ser convidado a testar? Meu dispositivo é um XR com iOS 13.3

Copper Contributor

Oi, acho que não. Tem uma cantidade maxima de pessoas pra o prueba. :( . A pergunta é quando vamos poder acceder. (Disculpa meu portugués).

Apps works pretty fine!

Would be nice if an SharePoint view could be added with for example frequent visited sites. Than we can get rid off the SharePoint app and all separate apps!

Copper Contributor

Hi

Any news about when it will be released for all users?

Copper Contributor

Will OneNote be integrated in the future?

Brass Contributor

I hope that when it comes to a tablet (especially larger tablets like iPad Pro) that it reflects that users want apps much closer to the desktop experience.

 

This is why Adobe is developing a full-featured version of Photoshop for the iPad, and Affinity Photo and Designer are already full clones of the desktop versions.

 

One of the most frustrating things for me is that Word on iPad is missing so many features like style and template creation and so forth. I don't need those on my phone, but they are a must for my iPad.

Copper Contributor

I would like to download the office365 app on my apple phone. When will the test fight be available for use? Or is there another way to download the app?

 

Brass Contributor

@Markus Berglund "I have one question regarding the Notes. Where is it stored?"

 

https://support.office.com/en-us/article/troubleshoot-sticky-notes-89b1bb37-ef52-4e56-a066-418d7ea0f...
For Work or School accounts (AAD), Sticky Notes requires an Exchange online mailbox in order to store and sync your Sticky Notes.

Copper Contributor

Any idea when this will be released?

Brass Contributor
Hello!
One doubt that not only do I, m the other users have is the differences between this application and the individual. The size of the Office app is ridiculously smaller than the individual apps summed up.
Has anything been taken off? What are the differences, advantages and disadvantages of having the individual app of each office app installed?
I am a participant in the Beta program, I love the app and I don't miss it, but I have this curiosity...
Copper Contributor

With this features, can I still access my documents in earlier versions of windows?

 

Brass Contributor

@ggomes 

 

A combined app will have a lot of code which is shared by all features.  For instance, formatting tools can be shared across the various "apps."  Spelling and grammar is another one.

 

But also, much of the base functionality will be common to all features.

 

So I would expect it to be much smaller than the combined size of individual apps.

Copper Contributor

Does the office mobile app provide for the full functionality of the standalone apps on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 6 (Android) with Samsung DeX? or is there a functional difference/limitation for Office 365 subscribers? Sorry for the question but I have not found any synopsis comparing the two

Copper Contributor

Where can I find the "Media files" witch I make with the Lens app?

Copper Contributor

:cool:ELISABETH HER DEN NYE MAILEN DIN

Copper Contributor
@Bill Doll - Do you have a release date for the new all in one office app?
Copper Contributor

Any ETA yet of General availability for IOS? 

Copper Contributor
Eine tolle App in die richtige Richtung! Mir persönlich fehlt die Einbindung von seriösen Cloud-Anbietern, hier sei Tresorit genannt, sowie natürlich die Optimierung für die iPad-Familie! Alles in Allem eine perfekte App für alle Office-Bereiche!
Copper Contributor

Hey, gang? It'd take you 90 seconds to tack on a message saying "public beta now closed for iOS" on that banner.

Copper Contributor

How / when can I install Android Office App on HUAWEI Media Pad M5 Lite tablet ?

Copper Contributor

As a financial Company we understand the impact of the New Office Application which is now available on the iOS & Google Play Store.

 

The issue I am facing is that I see a Data leakage point from the application itself.

 

We actively manage iOS devices for Corporate managed device as well as BYOD Devices.

 

Since users are able to download the application from app store -we have done some testing around for our managed devices where we have applied APP Policies to restrict data being copied and pasted as well as data being stored locally on the device – This has worked for us and aligned with our agreed setup.

 

However the issue we are facing is with the new transfer feature of this application where the camera can be used to scan a QR Code which is generated at transfer.office.com and we are able to create a pairing request to share files.

 

The QR code can be screenshot and sent to another user to create a secure file transfer connection.

 

Unfortunately we see this as a risk and something that falls out of DLP Scope.

 

For example important financial information can get sent out to other paired device from this application using the 10mb file transfer from anywhere around the world and this scenario could get replicated many times over.

 

Some Questions we face:

  1. How can we protect the sensitive data from being sent out and being received from the application with the QR file transfer Feature?
  2. Can the QR file transfer feature be disabled?
  3. Can the camera be disabled for the app?
  4. How can we protect this application from being downloaded/installed on a BYOD user device and setup our policies accordingly?
  5. If we were to hide/block this application from being installed to device for Corporate managed iOS devices how can we do the same for BYOD Users where company portal is not installed but rather the use of MFA App?

 

Copper Contributor

In case I would uninstall the three apps, i.e. word, excel and power point  to replace them with this new 3-in-one app, the  memory I need is higher or lower?  and this app can be moved to external memory (SD card) or not? i have a J7 samsung 2017.

as you may understand I need to spare space in the phone. THANKS

Copper Contributor

Maybe I oversee some information. Could this app handle labeled documents that are protected, is unified or sensitive labels are integrated in the app? 

Copper Contributor

Hi,

 

Some of the features are really good. I am using on my Iphone

 

But some help :- 

1] Can we use these feature of conversion PDF to word , Images to pdf other...etc in DESKTOP ?

2] Why PDF to word conversion option reflect once you select the pdf ?  The option should be in "Open" tab like others for Ex. Convert image to pdf

3] When will you launch - Ipad Version of software ?

 

Bronze Contributor

Office Lens used to save to OneDrive. When I take a picture, it says I am using lens, and it ends up in this no mans land called "Media" but no longer syncs to OneDrive. I end up forwarding with email -- i might as well just use the camera app on the phone??

Copper Contributor

本指南非常好。它告诉了如何使用Microsoft Office。我喜欢使用它。

Copper Contributor
https://link.edgepilot.com/s/1f53fdb8/6ljPouaPRUGjrTR9Puxksg?u=https://policies.account.samsung.com/terms?appKey=j5p7ll8g33%26type=PN%26includeChild=true
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