Google Docs For Android Adds Offline Access

Google has updated the Android app for Google Docs, its cloud productivity suite for documents, presentations and spreadsheets, adding offline access and an improved document reading experience.

According to Google, Android users can now stay connected to documents and files without an Internet connection. Previously, Google Docs would only work on Android devices when Wi-Fi or a data connection was available.

"There may be times when you don't have an Internet connection on your Android device, but you still want access to a file you've saved in Google Docs," wrote Freeman Liu, Google software engineer, in a blog post about the Google Docs for Android updates. "Now you can select any file in Google Docs to make it available offline. So regardless of whether you're connected to the Internet, you're always connected to those files."

[Related: IBM Joins Google, Microsoft In Cloud Productivity War ]

Google Docs now also automatically updates offline files when users are on Wi-Fi and files can be manually updated any time there is a data connection by opening the file or tapping "Update" from the Offline section of the Google Docs app.

Google also updated Google Docs for Android tablets, Google said. The update includes the Google Docs reading experience, Liu said.

"Now, when you open a Google document on your tablet while online, you'll get a high-resolution version of the document. Swipe left and right to flip between pages, or use the slider at the bottom to page ahead quickly," Liu wrote.