If you’re like most people, you probably use Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint on a regular basis. While these apps work great on your computer, it can be tough working with them while you’re out and about. Now, you can take these programs wherever you go, with the new Microsoft Office app for Android and iPhone users. Here are the best new features that you’ll get with the Microsoft Office app and how to use them.
What is the Microsoft Office for iPhone and Android?
The new Microsoft Office app combines the features of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This makes it easy to switch between the apps when you’re trying to get work done on the go. With Word on your phone, you can change the font, text size, and use lots of other formatting options with ease. And, with Excel, you can create formulas and format cells. PowerPoint also lets you quickly create slides and use images from your phone.
The app is available for smartphones and tablets running on the last four major versions of Android or iOS 12.0 and newer. You can download the app for free from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store now.
The Best New Features of the Microsoft Office App
You don’t need to link your Office 365 account to the app to enjoy many of the new features. Here are some of the things that you can accomplish using the Microsoft Office for iPhone and Android:
Transfer files from your computer to the app and vice versa
You’ll never have to leave your work at home again. Now, you can use the Microsoft Office app to send and receive any Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, along with any other files on your phone that are under 10 MB.
To enable this feature, open the Microsoft Office app and tap Actions in the lower-right corner of your screen. Then tap Transfer Files and choose whether you want to send or receive files. Either way, you will have to go to transfer.office.com on a computer and use your phone to scan a QR code. Then make sure to select Pair on both devices.
Sign PDF documents using your finger
If you’ve ever received a PDF attachment on your phone, but you couldn’t sign it until you got back to a computer, this feature could save you a lot of time.
All you have to do is tap Actions at the bottom of your screen and select Sign a PDF. Then select a file from your phone and tap where you want to add a signature. Finally, create a new signature or use a saved one and resize or move it where you want it to be.
Turn a photo of text into a Word document
The new Microsoft Office app makes it easy to take a photo of text and turn it into a Word document that you can edit on your phone.
To do this, tap the plus sign at the bottom of your window and select Documents. Then tap Scan text and use your phone to take a picture of some text. Then use the circles around the box to resize the image around the text you want to capture. Finally, you can copy the text and paste it in a Word document or share it with other people and apps.
Scan a photo of a chart to turn it into an editable Excel spreadsheet
While this feature is a little buggy, if you take a good picture, you can turn any table or chart you find in real life into an Excel spreadsheet. You can then edit the data in each cell, create formulas, and more.
To use this feature, tap the plus sign at the bottom of your window and select Documents. Then tap Scan table and use your phone to take a picture of a table. Then resize the box around the table to capture the data you want. Finally, confirm the data so you can open it on your phone or send it to your computer.
Upcoming Features
If the features above are not enough to convince you to download this top-rated app, perhaps the upcoming will. In the coming months, the Office app will let you do the following:
- Dictate a Word document with proper formatting and punctuation.
- View and edit Excel data easily with the use of Excel Cards View.
- PowerPoint Designer will let you turn a simple outline into slides, complete with correct style and formatting
Microsoft Office App Price
You can download the Microsoft Office app for free. You don’t even have to sign in to your Microsoft account to use the basic features. However, if you wish to access and store your files to the cloud, you will want to connect the app to your Microsoft account.
You can unlock the app’s premium features if you link it to your Office 365 account. If you have not set up an Office 365 account, you can sign up for one via the app. You can get Office 365 Personal for one computer for $6.99 month, or you can get Office 365 Home for up to five computers for $9.99 a month. Each of these subscriptions also lets you use the new app on as many tablets and smartphones as you want.
Once you download the Microsoft Office app on your iPhone, check out our list of the best iPhone apps for 2020.
