Microsoft’s Office apps for Android will not work on Chromebooks any longer

Microsoft is going to stop supporting its android apps for Office on Google’s Chromebooks from next month. From September 18 onwards, Microsoft is going to direct users to use Office.com and Outlook.com instead of the native Android apps. However, these apps are going to be available on Android smartphones and tablets still. to be able to access the sites, Chromebook users will need to sign in to their personal Microsoft Accounts or their Microsoft 365 subscription accounts. 

Microsoft announced the change through its Office for Chromebook support page and mentioned that users will be able to access apps like Outlook, OneNote, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and Word using the web services. Earlier, this page used to direct users to download the corresponding Android apps.

This decision to direct Chromebook users to Microsoft’s web services might seem like the company is withdrawing support for a competing platform but it makes sense. Google’s ChromeOS is meant to run an entire system inside the Chrome browser so Chromebooks perform better when you are working inside the browser.

"We're pleased to see Microsoft offer Chrome OS users a more optimized experience and embrace the open web. People love Chrome OS because it provides a speedy, secure, and simple computing experience and helps them stay connected while they work, study and stay entertained," a spokesperson from Google told ZDNet.

“In an effort to provide the most optimized experience for Chrome OS/Chromebook customers, Microsoft apps (Office and Outlook) will be transitioned to web experiences (Office.com and Outlook.com) on 18 September 2021. This transition brings Chrome OS/Chromebook customers access to additional and premium features. Customers will need to sign in with their personal Microsoft Account or account associated with their Microsoft 365 subscription. More information is available here," Microsoft told AboutChromebooks in a statement.