Microsoft Makes Office for iPhone and Android Free

Microsoft Office mobile applications for iPhone and Android are completely free from now on for all home users. The company has finally eliminated the request to be an Office 365 subscriber to work with the documents enjoying full functionality. Now, you’re capable of viewing and editing files in each application free of charge, which is quite a smart move by the company, intended to make Office one of the essential downloads for all users. It is no fun to make changes to an Excel spreadsheet on a 4-inch screen, so it is wise of Microsoft to give these apps away for free in hopes of encouraging users stick to their desktop Office software.

The iPad version still requires an annual subscription to the Office 365, which will set you off $99 per year if you want to be able to edit anything.

According to the company’s update notes, Microsoft’s free Office apps are intended for home use only, which means the business clients are still bound to have that Office 365 subscription, but it would be extremely difficult to keep that model working as you never know which Android users are business and which ones are home users. Employees can always install the apps on their personal smartphones and use them for work purposes. The company is well aware of this, of course, but it is a sacrifice Microsoft is willing to make to encourage more people stick to its cloud service OneDrive.

If you rely on Office heavily to get your crucial tasks done on a daily basis, there is a high possibility you're still paying for it one way, or another.