Back in May, Microsoft revealed that they were going to be releasing a mobile version of SharePoint and would be launching an Android app in the future. As of today, Microsoft has taken a step closer towards that goal and have launched a preview version of SharePoint on the Play Store as part of the early access program. What this means for those who are unfamiliar with early access is that the app is functional and can be installed on a number of devices so long as it has a compatible version of the Android software. For SharePoint this is Android 4.4 and up, but the app is only for businesses or schools that have an Office 365 account with SharePoint online. Also worth noting is that since this is a preview version of the app, it is technically “unreleased” and not a final version of the product. Having said that the app is also capable of changing in that Microsoft could choose to add new features when they fully launch the app out of preview status, or they could remove features, anything is possible.
Moving on, SharePoint is an app that is designed for productivity, much like most of Microsoft’s other applications on Android, but specifically it’s meant as sort of a hub for many of the other tools within Office 365. The app lets users have access to these multiple services in one place, including access to document libraries for file management of Word, Excel, and other types of files.
SharePoint also includes a list of the people you work with, and tapping any of these contacts lets you view various pieces of information like their profile card and what they’re currently working on. Although SharePoint allows access to files like Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, editing these files requires you to have the other Office mobile apps installed that correspond with the file type. Once sites and intranet portals are linked to the app, you can also view team sites that are visited frequently by your company, and each team site will also display any activities that are currently being worked on and by which team members. If your organization has an Office 365 account with SharePoint online attached, the SharePoint app is available in the Play Store now.
