Microsoft launches Office for Android smartphones

Microsoft has launched its Office suite for Android smartphones, five weeks after announcing a preview version of the apps.

Versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for Android smartphones are now available on the Google Play store, as well as the Samsung Galaxy store and multiple Chinese app stores.

In a blog post announcing the launch, Kirk Koenigsbauer, Microsoft corporate vice president for Office client applications and services, said the launch follows a five-week preview program involving 1900 Android phone models in 83 countries.

Feedback from the preview program was incorporated into the release version of the Office suite, with tweaks including making it easier to connect to third-party storage services including Box and Google Drive.

Koenigsbauer also revealed that Microsoft has entered into partnerships with over 30 smartphone OEMs, including Samsung, Sony and LG, to pre-load the apps onto Android devices. Many such smartphones are set to launch later this year.

The launch represents a significant departure from Microsoft — a few years ago, the prospect of Microsoft launching its flagship software on Android devices would have been unheard of — and marks the latest move in the company’s new focus on providing software as a service.

Microsoft had already launched its Office suite for Android tablets back in February.

Image courtesy Microsoft.