Microsoft is doing a major change. It’s ending Chromebook support for Office Android apps next month. This is an unfortunate decision and it’s no longer a rumor. There is no formal and official announcement yet but a representative of the company confirmed it. The current version of the Office app for Chromebook will no longer be updated or supported. The message has been going around for some time and now we have an answer. A transition will roll out in September. Chromebook support for Office Android apps will no longer be available. You can access Office on the web instead.
The web will be the only way for you to use Microsoft’s productivity suite on a Chromebook. Here’s what the Microsoft representative said:
“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 September 18, 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.”
Note that Office on Android will not be discontinued. The suite will still be available on Android devices. Microsoft 365 will continue to work for Android phones and tablet especially since millions of people use the apps.
Microsoft no longer has to spend time updating and further developing the Office apps for Chromebook. The latter usually comes in different sizes so it can be a challenge for an app to fit all sizes. What may easily work are web apps that are usually responsive and scalable.
