We already told you that Microsoft seemed to have removed support for Office Android apps for Chrome OS. In a short text, Microsoft asked users to use web applications. But so far, they hadn’t told Microsoft about it. Now in a statement to About Chromebooks, the company admitted that they are “Make the transition” from Microsoft applications to web experiences to provide customers with the “More optimized experience”.
Goodbye to Office apps on Chrome OS
Microsoft’s Office suite came to Android in 2015 and has since been updated regularly, bringing a lot of functionality to the apps. You should know that this will not change. Android versions of the apps will continue to be supported. The change only applies to Chrome OS users. These will now be redirected to use web versions of apps like Outlook, Office, etc.
The Redmond giant has long restricted the functionality of its Office mobile application suite to larger screens. Require users to subscribe to their Office 365 subscription, now Microsoft 365, to take advantage of additional features on large screens, such as the iPad Pro and others. The change for Chrome OS, however, applies to all users, probably due to the efforts required to keep Android apps for larger screens.
“In an effort to provide the most optimized experience for Chrome OS / Chromebook customers, Microsoft applications (Office and Outlook) will be moved to web experiences (Office.com and Outlook.com) on September 18, 2021. This transition results in to Chrome OS / Chromebook customers get access to additional and premium features. Customers will need to sign in with their personal Microsoft account or an account associated with their Microsoft 365 subscription.
While the change may also help optimize options for Chrome OS users, the web versions of the apps don’t have as many features as the native Android offerings. The most important disadvantage is lack of offline support, which can be annoying.