Microsoft has long since abandoned the strategy of keeping its apps and services confined to its own platform. Windows Phone didn't really work out, so it's not like there's another option. Microsoft's Word, PowerPoint, and Excel apps are getting a nice update today on Android that makes them better at handling shared content. PowerPoint also gets some UI tweaks.

Here's a combined changelog for all three apps.

  • Collaboration front and center : Quickly share your document, and see who’s working on it.
  • Shared with me: Find and open files others have recently shared with you.
  • PowerPoint only - Fresh new look: A better experience for reading presentations on your phone. Drag and drop to reorder slides and double-tap to edit.
  • PowerPoint only - Find: Use the Find icon on the ribbon to search for any text in your presentation.

The new sharing-oriented features are subtle, but you'll notice if you use the Office apps a lot. The sharing button now brings up an option to send a collaboration invitation. You can also see who else is working on the document live.  When opening documents, you'll also see a new "Shared with me" option, which lists all the documents that have been shared with you (duh). You need to be logged in with your Microsoft account for either of these to work. The PowerPoint changes are pretty self-explanatory—drag-and-drop slide reordering is much appreciated, though. All three updated apps are live in the Play Store.