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iOS and Android users: You're getting these new Google Docs, Sheets, Slides features

Google brings a bunch of new features, like Microsoft Office editing and Smart Compose, to its G Suite apps on mobile.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

Google has announced a slew of new features coming to G Suite apps on iOS and Android in the next weeks and months.

The updates for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides mobile apps include a new and easier way to edit Microsoft Office files within a Google app without converting them. 

Google brought its Microsoft Office editing feature to its G Suite apps for the web last year, allowing users to edit, comment, and collaborate on Microsoft Office files using Google's apps.

SEE: Office 365: A guide for tech and business leaders (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Google will roll out Office editing to Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android in the coming weeks and for iOS later this year.

AI-powered Smart Compose in Docs, which helps users write better sentences, is also making the leap from the web to Docs on mobile. It will roll out to G Suite customers over the next few weeks on Android and iOS. 

G Suite on Android recently gained dark-theme support and this should come to the apps iOS in the next few months, according to Google.  

To reduce distractions caused by clicking a link in a document and opening a new web page, in the next few weeks Google will bring link previews to Docs on Android.

The feature is already available on iOS and the web. Instead of opening a new app or web page, link previews presents a card with information about the content and a visual thumbnail.  

SEE: Cool Google Sheets tricks

An upcoming update to Slides presentations aims to cater to the rise of virtual meetings in the pandemic. Google has created a vertically scrollable stream of slides that users can pinch-to-zoom, helping to review slides faster whether when editing or presenting content. It's coming to Android over the next few weeks and is due for iOS in coming months. 

Google is also tweaking the comments and action items in Docs, Sheets, and Slides on mobile to improve collaboration. There'll be a larger area for comments on screen that should make it easier for users to scroll through and respond. This is already available on Android and will reach iOS in the next few months. 

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