In a bid to get more Smartphone users to utilize it Office Mobile apps, Microsoft has removed all restrictions that required users to subscribe in order to use their apps on Android or iOS Smartphones.
Microsoft says that these free mobile apps are intended for Home use and that for business use, you will require Office 365 subscription like before. Of course this is easier said than done as it will be difficult for Microsoft to know who downloads the app for home use and who downloads it for business purposes.
All that subscription dilemma aside, the decision to make these apps free to download is genius. This move makes it easier for Microsoft to push its cloud services to users on both Android and iOS who may not be using them currently. This is because you have to sign up with Microsoft services in order to save the documents you have created.
Microsoft also hopes that you will need to do final editing of your documents on a PC or laptop meaning that you will have to buy Microsoft office for PC. Editing documents on the tiny screens on your Smartphone can be really hard and you will definitely want to do final editing on your computer.
