Back in April, Google removed Docs and Sheets from its Drive app and made them into standalone apps. It did the same with Slides on Android in June, and now the standalone Slides app is available for iOS, too.
With the launch of Slides for iOS, Google also updated its Docs and Sheets apps for the platform, with promises of easier on-the-go editing and the ability to open, create, and edit native Microsoft Office files with the Google Docs suite on iOS.
“We’re delivering on our promise to make it possible for you to work with any file, on any device, any time,” Google software engineer Li-Wei Lee wrote in a blog post.
Whether you’re carrying an Apple device, a Chromebook, Android phone or tablet, or another gadget, it is now easier to complete tasks online and off. Stuck on the subway with no reception but need to update a PowerPoint presentation? Swapped your laptop for your tablet but want to change important details of a proposal? The updated apps have you covered.
Those working in Microsoft Office can use Docs, Sheets, and Slides to open a contract saved in Word, copy the important data to an Excel spreadsheet, and drop content into PowerPoint—”all from whichever device is most convenient,” Lee said.
Google’s real-time collaboration tools carry over as well, allowing users to convert old Office files into Docs, Sheets, or Slides, then work together on their respective machines.
Offline edits can also be made, whether using the mobile app or a Web-based service on your laptop, once you enable it. For more, check out PCMag’s review of Microsoft Word for iPad, Excel for iPad, and PowerPoint for iPad.