For over three months, Microsoft Office has been available for Android tablets but in closed preview mode. This was because Microsoft wanted to see how Android users receive the app before making it available to all Android tablet users.
Well, it seems that the reception has been good as far as Microsoft has finally pulled the app out of beta mode. You can download Microsoft Office on your mid-sized Android tablet for free from the Play Store. The free versions are available for all Android tablets between 7 and 10.1 inches in size. Those with bigger tablets will have no option but pay a subscription fee. Those with smaller tablets are the only one who will take full advantage of all productivity features.
According to Kirk Koenigsbauer, CVP, Office 365 Client Apps and Services, “The current system requirements for Office on Android tablet are: devices of screen sizes 7 inches or larger (a device with screen size greater than 10.1 inches will require an Office 365 subscription to create and edit), with an ARM based processor and 1 GB RAM or above. Today, the Android OS version that is supported is KitKat4.4.x.”
With Microsoft Office for Android tablet, you will be able to create and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations by swiping and prodding the tablet’s display.
Microsoft Office for Android preview mode had over 250,000 downloads from over 110 countries. “We had 3,000 Android device variants covering more than 500 models with different sizes and hardware capabilities. There was high engagement with 80 percent of people trying the apps,” added Koenigsbauer.