Editing your Google Docs on the go

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 | 9:01 AM

Cross posted on the Official Google Blog, Google Enterprise Blog and the Google Docs Blog

With Google Docs, we’re always trying to make you more productive—and part of that means making it possible for you to get things done from anywhere, at anytime. That’s why we’re excited that the new documents editor now supports editing on your mobile browser. We’re rolling this out over the next few days.

That means that...

  • You can work on that important memo...while on the bus or train to work.
  • If you’re behind on a group proposal, but really want to make it to the ball game tonight, your whole team can work on it from the bleacher seats.
  • You can take minute-by-minute notes at a concert so you’ll always remember the setlist. And your friends can jealously follow in real-time at home.
  • ...and the list goes on!
Take a look at this video to see mobile editing in action:



It’s easy to get started: visit docs.google.com in a browser on a supported device, and select the document you want to edit. Then, when you’re viewing it, press the Edit button to switch to the mobile editor.


In the next few days, we’re rolling this out to English-language users around the world on Android with Froyo (version 2.2) and on iOS devices (version 3.0+) including the iPad. We’ll be adding support for other languages soon. And as before, we also support editing of spreadsheets from your mobile device’s browser.

We hope you enjoy editing your documents on the go—especially when you’re at the game with a hot dog in your other hand.

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

Been waiting for this. Thanks :)

Anonymous said...

wow this is great thanks google

Jay said...

Now if only Samsung and T-Mo can get it together to get Froyo on the Vibrant... Sigh.

Unknown said...

Offline editing?

Juhani said...

Awesome news! This was the most important feature that was missing from my Android phone. Thank you Goooooogle!!

Ken Pendergrass said...

Will this work on BlackBerry Browser? I have a Storm 2...

Unknown said...

You should mention this only supports one account at a time. I have both a personal Google account and a separate work Google account. The Android phone seamlessly lets you use both accounts.

Google docs in the desktop browser also lets you switch between the accounts with a drop down. Sadly this mobile service is stuck with one account requiring you to repeatedly log out and back in again - a huge pain!

Aron said...

what about functionality with webOS?

Unknown said...

Best thing ever! I've been waiting for this; it will definitely make my life easier. Thanks!

Mr. Smith said...

We are now on the verge of some very cool things in the areas of mobile learning - thanks Google.

The Pixel Dance said...

google is always best and their features as well... these are real helpful.

thanks.

thinkj.com said...

wow, this is incredible - to do real time editing on mobile phone.

Richard said...

Hm, any idea if this will be rolled out to Google Apps users soon too?

Alan said...

This is really great to see. Thank you, Google.

But -- nested folders on Mobile Google Docs are still broken: there's just no way to see what subfolders are inside any folder. This is a really weird oversight/bug and incredibly frustrating: I've got thousands of docs organized into a complex directory structure, and without being able to see nested folders, I can't find anything in the current Google Docs site. Why build in so fundamental and frustrating a difference between the mobile and desktop sites?

So -- I'm happy to see editing added. But it's not really useful for me because it's just too hard to find documents. Until this nested folder issue is addressed, I'll still have to depend on third party solutions (Docs to Go, QuickOffice, etc...) for dealing with my Google Docs.

Nathan Burke said...

Does this not work on the iphone? I can't see an edit button when looking at a doc.

Jerry Meyer said...

And, as usual, no 1.6 support. Oh, well. Thank goodness for non-Google app developers!

Tiziano Solignani said...

What about google apps (premier and paying) users? Left behind as usual?


--
cordialmente,

tiziano solignani, da iMac
http://tsolignani.solignani.it

~ il mio libro: http://fenice.solignani.it

Brass said...

It's just a shame that you can't create a new document...

Amit said...

Will this support editing in the offline mode?

Unknown said...

I agree with Dan, editing is great but why can't we create a new doc?

Btw, the Gdocs app for Android has made creating and editing Google docs for a while now. Nice to have it built in but until I can create a new doc I'm going to stick with the Gdocs app.

Unknown said...

Thanks Google,

I love you because you are thinking in the same way for android and iOS users.

I am a happy Google Apps Premier Customer with many iPads, iPhone (and soon Android) users in my company and loving to work on the Go with your tools.

Gracias
Carlos

Alin Stan said...

hy, i can't see the edit buton
how can i make it appear.
thanks

Unknown said...

This is just great! Well done again Google. However, as others have mentioned nested folder support would be handy as would multiple account sign-in. Good job on the video as well, you guys must have taken some inspiration from the fruit's advertising - have to say, it works :)

... said...

An app that we could use offline would be better.

Alan said...

Yes -- an app for offline use is what I've really been waiting for too.

But in the mean time: thank you, Google. Nice to see editing enabled for mobile browsers.

Carlo said...

Why is this for Android 2.2 only???

Maggie said...

I tried it on android 2.2 to edit a spreadsheet with simple arithmetic, such as addition. It allows to edit only those cells with just a number or data, no formulae, even as simple as a1+b1 is allowed to be modified.

not useful for spreadsheets.

Don Crowley said...

mobile editing? I can do that using gdocs on mobile. BUT!!! What I can't do is create any other type of document except a text doc. I want to at least be able to create spreadsheets automatically as well. That should be easy! If I have already created one on a computer,editing is easy. Please make spreadsheet creation an option NOW :)

love the docs :)

Jason Lee said...

Why can I only edit some of my docs on the phone? My shopping list wasn't editable but a new doc I created was. I edited my shopping list with quick office and then it was editable in the mobile web. This trick doesn't work though for my work and personal scratch pad docs and many others. They just don't get an edit button on the mobile site.

eadmon said...

Google-docs Thanks!
For months I wanted to edit some small details in a "spreadsheet" or in a text. And with openoffice or closeoffice was not possible from my mobile.
Even with my phone that have proprietary software, I can edit.
You're great!

EN ESPAÑOL:

Gracias google-docs!!!
Hace meses que quería editar algunos pequeños detalles en una "hoja de cálculo" o en un texto. Y con openoffice o closeoffice no era posible desde mi móvil.
Incluso con mi móvil que tiene software propietario, ahora puedo editarlos.
Sois geniales!!!

Anonymous said...

I'm using apps for domains. Why no love?

David Andrade said...

I'm glad that I can create a new Doc on my Palm Pre+ (webOS) but I'm hoping you will add editing to webOS. It's a webkit browser so it shouldn't be a big issue.

Love Google's products and the more we can do mobile the better.

Unknown said...

Please support Opera Mobile on Android. I am unable to save changes to my documents, I get a server error each time I try!

RobinMM said...

I can't imagine why people think this is a GOOD thing. Just one more way for bosses to chain employees to their e-mail 25 hours a day, 8 days a week. I can't even go to the "ball game" without working at the same time?!?

Unknown said...

I am vey disappointed about this option! You can only add plain text, you cannot change styles, in faxt it is completely useless. I really cannot see how people can be enthousiastic about this feature. It bring you back to the typewriter era.
Why can't Google make the normal Docs functionality working on my IPad, instead of this?

Dee said...

Symbian?

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Esse Quam Videri said...

What an ungrateful group we have here. I guess I should not be surprised. Thank you Google for allowing us to to CREATE and EDIT Google docs for FREE!

Magnus Engdahl said...

This is not a great feature and I'm surprised that Google has not done a better job. They should be doing a iPad, iPhone and Android apps for this stuff until they can get it to work properly in the mobile browsers.

Great idea, poor execution.

Blogημένος said...

Symbian?

Anonymous said...

This is really good, I've been using google docs for quite sometime now and has already proven to be useful.

Unknown said...

Why is there no support for BlackBerry Webkit browser?

Sewa Motor Jogja 081213359726 said...

Editing your Google Docs on the go.
nice posts, thanks for sharing.. please visit me back

Robert Lott III said...

Waiting, like many, on an Android app to access documents. A bit surprised that this is not native to Android. I am, however, glad that we are able to edit documents via internet. I am also glad this is even possible, consider I don't pay Google a dime (don't want to be ungrateful).

Robert Lott III said...

...And I mean a Google Official app. I do not know how much I trust third-party developers with so much of my info.

premmishra said...

Best thing ever! I've been waiting for this; it will definitely make my life easier. Thanks!