Google has announced that it is discontinuing the QuickOffice apps on Android and iOS — but if you’re using the official Chrome extension you don’t need to panic.
Two years ago QuickOffice enjoyed a reputation for being one of the most capable Microsoft Office-compatible productivity suites on mobile.
Noticing this, Google quickly acquired the company, with many of its features rolled into Google Docs and made available on Chrome and Chrome OS in the form of a basic Office viewer/editor extension.
It now seems that integration of said features into Google Docs, Sheets and Slides is complete, with Google announcing it will be removing the QuickOffice mobile apps from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store over the coming weeks. Existing users, Google say, can continue to use it but ‘no features will be added and new users will not be able to install the app,’.
Rebranded Chrome Add-On
Alongside removal of the mobile applications, Google also seems to be retiring the ‘QuickOffice’ brand. The Chrome extension was this week renamed from ‘QuickOffice Viewer‘ to ‘Office Editing for Docs, Sheets, and Slides’.
In addition to its new name, and a shiny new logo, the extension also adds a handful of new features, including an introductory popup that now appears when opening an Office file, and a menu option to quickly convert a file to its equivalent Google Docs format.
The newly renamed extension can be downloaded for free from the Chrome Web Store and works on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS.
For further information on the extension see this help article.