Microsoft has added an array of exciting new features to its well-regarded Office suite on iOS. These include 3D Touch quick actions, support for Apple Pencil and quicker document search through Spotlight.
From the Home screen, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus users can now, with 3D Touch, deep press the Word, Excel or PowerPoint icon to more quickly make a new document, spreadsheet or presentation. The ‘quick actions’ menu also enables swifter access of recently saved and used files.
Meanwhile, in the iPad versions of these apps, a new Draw tab includes a range of creative options to “annotate with ink” on documents. Using the Apple Pencil with the iPad Pro, or pen or finger with other iPads, it is possible to digitally write, draw and highlight.
Another new function is use of iOS 9’s Spotlight to speedily search for documents without any requirement to open the Office app it was saved in. Spotlight can be accessed simply by swiping down or to the left when on the Home screen.
The basic versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are available for free from the App Store. However, numerous features, including creating and editing documents on the iPad Pro, require an Office 365 subscription from $6.99 a month.
