Microsoft makes Office for iOS and Android free

Microsoft makes Office for iOS and Android free. Users no longer need an Office 365 subscription to store and edit files online. The Android version of Office will be available to the general public in early 2015.

The free version of Office for iOS and Android is only for consumers, Microsoft says. Businesses still need to have an Office 365 subscription to use the apps. Consumers can also purchase additional storage with Office 365. Users without a subscription are stuck with the regular storage capacity of 15GB, Office 365 users currently have 1TB but will soon get ‘unlimited’ storage.

Microsoft also releases iPhone versions of its Office applications; the version for iPad already existed and will be updated on Thursday. There is a preview of the office software for Android, but the release to the general public is planned for early 2015 according to Microsoft.

With the move to make the use of Office free for consumers, Microsoft says it wants to stimulate the use of the office software by everyone and everywhere. Presumably it also wants to thwart the competition by removing the biggest obstacle to using Office on mobile devices. Making Office free on Windows Phone is unnecessary; the office software has been preinstalled on Windows Phone devices for many years.