Dropbox for iOS integrates Microsoft Office document editing

Posted:
in iPhone edited November 2014
As promised earlier in November, Dropbox on Tuesday activated a new iOS app feature that lets users open and edit Microsoft Office documents through their respective apps, with automatic syncing and saving.




While not in-app editing, the latest Dropbox for iOS app links with Microsoft Office mobile titles to open, view and edit files stored in the cloud.

When a compatible Office file is opened in Dropbox, such as a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, a new "Edit" icon appears. Tapping the button will open the corresponding Microsoft Office app, where Office 365 subscribers can edit or review a file. Exiting the Office app automatically saves the revised version to Dropbox.

Alternatively, files can be accessed from Dropbox in an Office app, with support for the same automated save and sync features.

If users do not already have Word, Excel, or PowerPoint installed on their device, tapping the Edit icon will first redirect to the iOS App Store for download. Following a registration process that involves authorizing Dropbox to edit Office documents, the set up procedure is complete.

Dropbox for iOS is a free download from the iOS App Store, though Dropbox Business users will need an Office 365 subscription to edit documents on mobile.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10

    Thou shalt not tempt Office apps to deviate from OneDrive.

  • Reply 2 of 10

    So, basically, one will need to download a free app, buy another app, configure both in order to have an 'office document' automatically saved to the cloud. Something that works on 64GB iPhones by default. Got it!
  • Reply 3 of 10
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    So, basically, one will need to download a free app, buy another app, configure both in order to have an 'office document' automatically saved to the cloud. Something that works on 64GB iPhones by default. Got it!

     

    Even an Office 365 subscription comes with OneDrive storage.  Hell, now you don't even need a subscription for basic editing and storage on the Cloud.

     

    With iCloud+iWork and MS Office+OneDrive, I fail to see how Dropbox will help.

    iCloud+iWork on the Web are platform agnostic. MS Office on OS X, iOS and Windows (and Android shortly) is also omnipresent. I think the market requirement of Dropbox is diminishing.

     

    Of course, I don't use it at all, so there will be some indispensable things about it for Users. But I just can't see it right now.

  • Reply 4 of 10
    Even an Office 365 subscription comes with OneDrive storage.  Hell, now you don't even need a subscription for basic editing and storage on the Cloud.

    With iCloud+iWork and MS Office+OneDrive, I fail to see how Dropbox will help.
    iCloud+iWork on the Web are platform agnostic. MS Office on OS X, iOS and Windows (and Android shortly) is also omnipresent. I think the market requirement of Dropbox is diminishing.

    Of course, I don't use it at all, so there will be some indispensable things about it for Users. But I just can't see it right now.

    Aha! So, editing has been added to the free Office apps from MS. Well, if they want Office as a product to survive in the new Mobile World, I think they made the right decision.

    I wanted to look up on Dropbox possible loosing market share, but get to read yet another failure from this company. Together with their security breaches over the past couple of years I think they will implode all by themselves:

    http://www.enterprisecioforum.com/en/blogs/lynnzhou/dropbox-software-glitch
  • Reply 5 of 10
    Even an Office 365 subscription comes with OneDrive storage.  Hell, now you don't even need a subscription for basic editing and storage on the Cloud.

    With iCloud+iWork and MS Office+OneDrive, I fail to see how Dropbox will help.
    iCloud+iWork on the Web are platform agnostic. MS Office on OS X, iOS and Windows (and Android shortly) is also omnipresent. I think the market requirement of Dropbox is diminishing.

    Of course, I don't use it at all, so there will be some indispensable things about it for Users. But I just can't see it right now.
    On the basis that Dropbox prices for storage are the same as Office 365 and Office 365 gives you office and the storage. I think Ill stick with the Office 365 / One Drive combo.
  • Reply 6 of 10

    I do use dropbox for one project at work and have to edit while in meetings, maybe this will be a benefit, will have to try it out. 

  • Reply 7 of 10
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by timgriff84 View Post





    On the basis that Dropbox prices for storage are the same as Office 365 and Office 365 gives you office and the storage. I think Ill stick with the Office 365 / One Drive combo.



    I've been a long time Dropbox user, but I also need Microsoft Office applications for work. Exporting .pages files to .docx is not good enough.

     

    I want to move to Office 365 (and get the same 1TB storage that I pay for with Dropbox).

     

    Can you tell me how you like 365 tools, synch, and storage, especially if you also a Mac user? Thanks!

  • Reply 8 of 10



    I don't put much stuff in my free Dropbox account, but one of the things I have done for several years is storing my .xlsx time sheets there. The cross-platform synch has been very convenient.

     

    I have always been able to open and view MS Word and Excel files in the iOS Dropbox app somehow or other, but the other day, I installed the Office iOS iPad apps now that it is possible to do basic edits for free. From Excel, I chose the Dropbox location to open a file, and I don't recall that I really needed the Dropbox app to do so. I just had to enter Dropbox login info. I do happen to have the app, so maybe thats how it worked, but the Dropbox app did not open up in the process.

     

    Anyway, it worked fine. The Excel app lets you call up a numeric keyboard that works pretty well too.

  • Reply 9 of 10

    This is a smart move. Dropbox is the cloud sync solution of choice for many Mac and iOS users and Office 365 speaks for itself - you either need it or you don't. I happen to think it's good value but that's not the point of this thread. Until today, editing Office files stored in Dropbox meant opening the Office app first, importing the data from DB into OneDrive, then saving to OneDrive then back to DB. OK you could just use OneDrive but it's never sat comfortably with Mac OS X. Dropbox is a lot faster and more efficient.

     

    Now (once you've authorized Office to access your DB account) you just double click a DB file and it opens in Office. You then edit and save back to DB just as if you were working in Windows on a local drive. Making Office apps easier to use on Mac and iOS devices increases their 'productivity' appeal especially if like me you need to work in a mixed Mac/Windows environment.

  • Reply 10 of 10
    carthusia wrote: »

    I've been a long time Dropbox user, but I also need Microsoft Office applications for work. Exporting .pages files to .docx is not good enough.

    I want to move to Office 365 (and get the same 1TB storage that I pay for with Dropbox).

    Can you tell me how you like 365 tools, synch, and storage, especially if you also a Mac user? Thanks!
    I am a Mac user but I only really use it for photos these days. A couple of months ago I transferred around 7gb of photos into one drive from my mac and that went ok. Took a while but the only reason issues I had was osx copying 7gb of files out of iphoto. The sync to one drive was fine.

    I'm quite a big one note user and use it between a windows desktop, laptop, surface, phone and an iPad. No real complaints with any of the apps and the sync works well.

    Other than the pc office apps. The only other one I use is excel on iPad. Again seems to always work. Docs open from one drive without an issue. The app seems good quality.

    A lot of people probably find the 365 subscription expensive. I share it with my parents as you can have 5 users which basically halves the cost for me.
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