Microsoft's unified Office app is now available for Android

What you need to know

• The unified Office app is now available on Android.
• The app brings together Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single app.
• The app has been in preview testing for months.

Microsoft's unified Office app for Android is now available. The app brings together Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Sticky Notes into a single unified experience. It's similar to the Office app on Windows 10 and the Office experience that currently ships with the Samsung Galaxy Note 10. Even though the new Office app is available, you can still keep the individual Office apps separately on your phone.

Microsoft built to new Office app for convenience. Microsoft states that Word, Excel, and PowerPoint wihtin the new Office app are at feature parity with the separate apps. But because all of the services are within a single app, it's easier to jump from document to document.

The new Office app also utilizes several features that allow you turn content from your phone into Office documents. You can take a photo of a document or whiteboard and create an editable Word file, scan a table and create a spreadsheet in Excel, and create a PowerPoint slide from photos on your phone. The app also plays nicely with touch, allowing you to sign a document with your finger.

Why the new Office app for Android is perfect for me

The app itself is free and can perform some functions without an Office 365 subscription. However, to use all the features of the app, you need an Office 365 subscription. You can log in with a personal, work, or school account within the app.