Google unveils Google Slides for Android and iOS, view and edit Google Drive-hosted presentations offline
Google has unveiled Google Slides for Android 1.0 and Google Slides iOS 1.0.0, new apps for accessing and editing presentations while on the move.
Both apps provide users with an option for downloading presentations to their devices for editing and viewing while offline. The iOS version is accompanied by updates to both Google Docs for iOS and Google Sheets for iOS that allow users to edit Word and Excel files.
Like the Docs and Sheets app, Google Slides provides a limited subset of the features found when accessing documents through the main Google Drive website. Users can both create and open presentations – including those stored in PowerPoint format – through the app, but editing functionality is limited.
Users can edit both text and its formatting, plus create new slides from scratch to place extra text on, but there are no tools for editing or inserting images.
The major selling point of each app is the ability to access documents while offline. In both cases, users need to mark the document in question via the “Keep on device” option in order to save it to their device’s storage. Android users can adjust how much storage space is available -- 50MB is the default -- via the app’s settings.
Users can also collaborate in real-time on documents with other users through the app, plus present directly from their device.
The iOS app’s launch is accompanied by updates to both Google Docs and Google Sheets companion apps -- both move to version 1.1.0 and gain the ability to edit Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel documents respectively. In addition, Google Sheets for iOS now allows users to at least view (but not edit) charts, plus insert formulas and use Find/Replace across their documents.
Both Google Slides for Android 1.0 and Google Slides for iOS 1.0.0 are available now as free downloads for users with Google Drive accounts. Also available are Google Docs for Android 1.3,Google Sheets for Android 1.3, Google Docs for iOS 1.1.0 and Google Sheets for iOS 1.1.0.