Microsoft rolls out Office for Android phones, with restrictions

Microsoft has announced the official launch of Office for Android phones. According to the Techcrunch.com, the services released by Microsoft include Word, Excel and PowerPoint, designed for Android smartphones, follows earlier efforts of Microsoft at bringing Office to Android tablets, in addition to support for Office on iOS devices, Windows and OS X. The release comes five weeks after the company rolled out the suite of applications as a preview.

The Office apps support many tasks, including the facility to review and edit files, running PowerPoint presentations from phones and quickly pulling up documents stored on competing services like Google Drive, Dropbox or Box. The apps will replace the older Office Mobile and will require 1 GB of RAM and Android KitKat or above. Android M is not yet supported. 

There's a catch however. You can create  a free Microsoft account and use the free version of the Office suite, which allows only basic editing and saving for documents. The remaining features are locked behind a paywall, requiring the user to pay for a subscription to Office 365.

The apps will be pre-installed on devices from over 30 OEMs (original equipment manufacturer) including Samsung, LG, Sony and others, the company notes. The app is now available for download on the Google Play Store.