Google is making some changes to Google Docs files on the mobile web version of the service similar to some changes they made to Sheets and Slides on the mobile web interface recently. The first changes to take note of are that users will soon no longer be able to edit Docs files in the mobile web interface of Google Docs, and instead when users attempt this they’ll be prompted to either open the Docs app to begin those edits, or they’ll be asked if they’d like to try out the Docs app by downloading and installing it if they don’t already have it installed on their smartphone or tablet.
Google states this is no different than what has already happened with Sheets and Slides in which they have previously disabled the use of mobile web editing for files. In mobile web viewers for all three services users are now going to be prompted to open the apps to complete any edits that are needed. In addition to this change to the services, Google has also made some tweaks to the design of the mobile web viewers so things are easier to read. When opening up either Docs, Sheets, or Slides in the mobile web viewer from now on users will see what is a more uniform design for the interface.
Google’s change to the look of each service is so that users will see a consistent design across each, which should help to keep the overall experience consistent when any of the services are used via the mobile viewer interface. Of course, each service will have its own slight unique touches that are specific elements meant for just that particular service, but overall the interface will all look pretty much the same. Google states that all end users will eventually see these visual changes, however not everyone will see them immediately. The estimated rollout timeframe is anywhere between one and three days according to Google’s blog post, so some users may see the visual updates to the interface today, some users may not see things until this weekend. Either way, the tweaks aren’t far off.
