Microsoft’s updated Office mobile apps can read text out loud

The apps now have a more consistent visual design, which includes new app icons, splash screens, cards, typography and more.

MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneDrive will now all share common design elements and look far more similar. (Bloomberg)

Microsoft has given a facelift to its Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel and PowerPoint mobile apps. Designed with Microsoft's Fluent Design system, the changes are meant to "take mobile productivity to the next level," according to the tech giant.

The apps now have a more consistent visual design, which includes new app icons, splash screens, cards, typography and more.

Productivity features like Play My Emails will let users listen to their inbox as if it were a podcast, and "Read Aloud" will serve a similar function in Word and Office apps, Engadget has recently reported.

According to the company, its apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneDrive will now all share common design elements and look far more similar.

Even Yammer, Teams, and Planner are getting new versions as well.