Google Docs Android App Now Lets You View Documents Offline

Users of the Google Docs Android App will now be able to view their documents offline, but will not be able to edit them.

In a blog post, Google detailed the feature, which will allow users to review files on their Android tablet or smartphone, even when they aren’t connected to a Wi-Fi or 3G connection.

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Google documents, presentations, spreadsheets, images and PDF files are all supported and will even update automatically when a connection is restored. However Google Sites, Drawings, Forms, Fusion Tables and Collections are presently incompatible with this feature.

The Android tablet app has also been updated. When users open a Google Doc online, they will be able to see a high resolution version of the document and can swipe left or right to flip between pages or use the silder at the bottom to page ahead quickly.

Google released an update for the Android app in August, which added the ability to drop photos from smartphones directly into a document which was then saved to the cloud for later viewing on a desktop or notebook. Documents can also be edited on the move when the user has an adequate connection on both Android and iOS devices.

The web version of Google Docs received an update in October which added 50 new features to the service, including real-time collaboration capabilities in an effort to compete with rivals such as Microsoft Office Web Apps.