Microsoft breaks down new features coming to Office on iOS and Android

What you need to know

• Microsoft shared upcoming features for the new Office apps on iOS and Android.
• You'll soon be able to add text with voice, view Excel rows in cards, and convert outlines into PowerPoint presentations.
• The new Office apps for iOS and Android came out this week.

The new Office apps on iOS and Android only came out this week, but Microsoft is already teasing future features for the apps. In the same post from Microsoft that announced the general availability of the new apps, Microsoft discussed some new features that are on the way. Over the next few months, the apps will gain the ability to add text with voice, view Excel rows in cards, and convert outlines into PowerPoint presentations.

The upcoming features are optimized for mobile devices. Some Office features are scaled-down versions of Office from larger screens. They deliver the same functionality but with a layout optimized for smaller screens. These new features take that a bit further by adding features that you might not use on a desktop. Here's Microsoft's summary of the new features:

• Word Dictation—Let Word turn your voice into written text and use voice commands and simple toolbars to easily apply the right formatting and punctuation you need.
• Excel Cards View—View and edit data in an Excel table row in a simple, digestible card format so you do not have span across columns that extend beyond the limits of the screen.
• Outline to PowerPoint—Write your presentation content as a simple outline and let PowerPoint Designer turn it into presentable slides with the proper styling, formatting, and iconography of your content.

Excel cards view is an excellent example of a mobile-optimized feature. Viewing Excel spreadsheets and editing rows of data on a phone can feel restrictive, especially if you're on a small screen or have a lot of cells to edit. Excel cards view allows you to edit an entire row of data within a card that's easy to view and edit.