Microsoft made the Office Mobile apps for Android and iPhone free for viewing and editing documents. The apps no longer required an Office 365 subscription for the mobile platform and could be downloaded from the Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

The decision was made in order to align Office Mobile for Windows Phone with its iOS and Android counterparts, said Microsoft to The Next Web.

Microsoft has also launched free versions of OneNote and OneDrive that didn’t require  Office 365 subscriptions.

iPad users were treated differently. While free versions of Office apps let users view Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations, an Office 365 subscription was required to edit documents using the new Microsoft Office apps on an iPad. 

One Office 365 subscription allowed users to install Office for iPad apps on up to five tablets and and five copies of Office for PCs and Macs.

Microsoft was working on bringing Office to Android tablets, as well as a Metro version for touch-enabled Windows devices. “In the future, we will bring Office apps to the Windows Store and other popular platforms, including Android tablets,” a Microsoft spokesperson told The Next Web.