Google has released free updated Google Drive apps for Android and iOS devices that allow users to edit documents.

The new feature intends to give the search giant’s cloud-based storage service an advantage over the competition.

“Starting today, if you’re using the Drive app on your iOS device you can also edit Google documents, just as you can with the Android app,” Google senior product manager Anil Sabharwal wrote on the Drive blog.

“From your iPhone or iPad, you can create a new document, edit an existing one or format text. And, just like on your computer, you’ll be able to see other people’s edits instantly as they’re made.”

On the updated Google Drive app, iOS users will have the ability to go over speaker notes and swipe between slides for Google presentations, but iPad users will have the exclusive feature to view presentations in full-screen mode.

Not only iOS users can enjoy the new updates applied on the cloud-based storage service, but also Android app users who can expect similar presentation features included in the iOS update.

Android device owners will also love the ability to go over tables in Google documents using the Drive app.

“We’re also updating the Drive app for Android phones and tablets today. You can now add comments, reply to existing comments and view tables in your Google documents. And you’ll have the same new abilities to view presentations and organize your stuff as your friends with iPhones do,” Sabharwal added.

Google assures that more features will come to Android and iOS users, with native editing and real-time collaboration for Google spreadsheets in the works for both versions.

The Drive app update follows an announcement from Microsoft that calls for its SkyDrive app on Android devices in the near future.

SkyDrive is Microsoft’s cloud-based storage service and had been released to iOS and Windows Phone devices since it launched, but an Android app version will directly rival Google Drive.

Google Drive is available in the App Store for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and the Play Store for Android smartphones and tablets.

To give a brief preview, here are some of its features taken from the description page of Google Drive for Android devices.

• With Google Drive, you can store all your files in one place, so you can access them from anywhere and share them with others
• Use the Google Drive Android app to access your photos, documents, videos and other files stored on your Google Drive
• Upload files to Google Drive directly from your Android device
• Share any file with your contacts
• Access files others have shared with you on Google Drive
• Make any file available offline so you can access them even when you don’t have an Internet connection
• Manage files on the go
• Create and edit Google documents with support for tables, comments and rich text formatting
• Edits to your Google documents appear to collaborators in seconds
• View Google presentations with full animations and speaker notes
• Make quick changes to spreadsheets
• View your PDFs, Office documents and more
• Upload and convert files to the Google Docs format
• Take a photo of printed text and convert it to a Google document
• Print files stored in Google Drive on the go using Google Cloud Print
• Open files stored in Google Drive through Drive enabled apps in the browser
• Optimized experience to take advantage of larger screens for tablet users, Honeycomb (Android 3.0+)

To learn more about Google Drive, visit here.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tthVEzX-UI

Source: Google Blog | App Store | Play Store

Related Articles:

SkyDrive For Android Now Available At The Google Play Store

Chrome OS Update Offers Several New Features, Includes Direct Upload To Google Drive

Microsoft Revamps SkyDrive Cloud Storage, Announces Upcoming Android App

Google Drive for iOS and Google Docs Offline Editing Now Available

About Francis Rey Balolong

A coffee junkie who spends most of his time writing about the latest news on social media and mobile technology. I would definitely consider myself a nerd (in the coolest most hipster way possible). That being said, I love technology, music, writing, and all things mobile. Follow me: Google+ Twitter

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