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Google has now launched the iOS version of its Slides app, which will allow iOS users to do work on Slides files on their mobile devices on the fly. The Android version of the app was unveiled back in late June, with the promise of an iOS version in the future. Also released were updates to the Google Docs and Sheets apps for mobile users.
“With [the] launch of the new Slides app on iOS and updates to the Docs and Sheets apps, we’re delivering on our promise to make it possible for you to work with any file, on any device, any time,” wrote Li-Wei Lee, a Google software engineer, in an Aug. 25 post on the Google Enterprise Blog. “Now you can use the Google Docs, Sheets and Slides apps on your iPad or iPhone and all other devices (your Chromebook, laptop, Android phone or tablet), to complete the same tasks—online or offline. In addition, you can open, create and edit native Microsoft Office files with the Google Docs suite on iOS.”
The new iOS app and the changes for the related apps for iOS and Android help extend the office suite editing services for users on-the-go, wrote Li-Wei. “Our phones and tablets help us get things done at work, but sometimes, you’re on the subway with no reception and need to update your spreadsheet before you get to the client’s office. Or you desperately need to make edits to your marketing strategy PowerPoint before you present, but you only brought your iPad to the meeting. We’ve all been there, but now there’s a way out.”
Using Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, users can open a contract that’s been saved in Word without having to convert the file, and then copy crucial figures over to an Excel spreadsheet from a client to do some number-crunching on their mobile device, the post said. “Then quickly pop those calculations over to the PowerPoint deck before you walk into a sales meeting, all from whichever device is most convenient.”
Google frequently adds new features and services to its Google Docs and Apps products.
In June, Google updated its Google Docs offerings so that users can now edit Microsoft Office files without having to first convert them to a different format. Under the update, both the mobile and Web-based versions of the applications now automatically allow users to edit Microsoft Office documents without any intervention by a user, making it simpler and faster. The new no-conversion editing capabilities are possible because the updated mobile apps for Docs, Sheets and Slides now come with Office editing built right in, according to Google. A new Chrome extension adds to the capabilities, giving users the ability to edit and share files directly from Google Drive, Gmail or from a Chromebook, where the extension is already installed. Users can still convert documents by making manual conversions, if needed.
In May, Google released mobile versions of its Docs and Sheets applications so that mobile users can create or edit documents on their devices while on the move. Also in May, Google expanded its arsenal of mobile management tools for Google Apps to help enterprises better manage Android devices and the capabilities of their BYOD users. The new features include an inactive account wipe capability that will allow enterprises to set user policies that will wipe an inactive account from a device if it has not been synced for a predetermined number of days, as well as new support for EAP-based WiFi networks, so that IT administrators can configure settings and distribute certificate authority-based certs for EAP, or Extensible Authentication Protocol, networks.
Google has some 5 million Google Apps users around the world, according to the company. The cloud-based Google Apps includes Gmail, Calendar, Drive storage, Docs, Sheets and Slides services.