Microsoft rolled out a major update to Office for iOS a few hours ago. While new features are coming to Word, Excel, and Outlook, it seems the new version includes an additional feature that the company forgot to highlight.
The new version of Microsoft Office includes support for Apple's Files app, making it significantly easier to open Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents on iPhone and iPad.
With this update, Microsoft has added an option called “Open in [Office app]” for any document displayed on the share sheet, compared to the previous version that required users to “Copy to.” The latter option has now been removed, and you can now easily open Office documents, MacStories reports.
The source notes that it is possible to open documents with a single tap on iOS devices, but as Microsoft developer Ian McDowell explains, this feature is powered by iOS and must first learn what apps you use for each type of document.
“iOS keeps track of the apps you open documents in, by document type, through the share sheet. When apps support the “Open in Place” option, the system may decide to automatically open an app without first displaying the share sheet,” it says.
This feature is only available for iOS devices that have already updated to iOS 11, as the “Files” app is exclusively available on this version of Apple’s operating system. According to Apple’s data, iOS 11 is already running on 65% of devices that have the ability to upgrade.
You can update to the latest version of Office from the App Store to enjoy everything that's available as part of the new update right now, or you can join the Insider to try new features early. However, in this case, you should keep in mind that the preview version presents an increased risk of bugs and other issues that may affect the smooth operation of devices.
