Increasingly, people are using mobile phones to access information -- from email to web browsing to editing documents. Part of getting work done on the go is being able to easily access, edit and share content, which is why we’re happy to announce the new Google Docs app for Android.
With this new app it’s easy to filter and search for your content across any Google account, then jump straight into editing docs using the online mobile editors. The app also allows you to easily share items with contacts on your phone, right from within the app.
The Docs app also allows you to upload content from your phone and open documents directly from Gmail. You can also add a widget to your home screen for easy access to three core tasks: jumping to your starred documents, taking a photo to upload, or creating a new document with one tap.
And my favorite feature: Using the app and your phone’s camera, you can turn photos with text into editable Google documents with the power of optical character recognition (OCR). Just create a new ‘Document from Photo' or select the camera icon from the widget, and your converted document will appear in your documents list shortly after you snap the picture. You can also convert photos already stored on your phone by sharing them with the Google Docs app. OCR does a pretty good job capturing unformatted text in English but won't recognize handwriting or some fonts - stay tuned, it will get better over time!
The Google Docs app is currently available in English and works on Android 2.1+ phones. Try it out by scanning the QR code below or by visiting Android Market.
Let us know what you think of the new Google Docs Android app in our forum.
And my favorite feature: Using the app and your phone’s camera, you can turn photos with text into editable Google documents with the power of optical character recognition (OCR). Just create a new ‘Document from Photo' or select the camera icon from the widget, and your converted document will appear in your documents list shortly after you snap the picture. You can also convert photos already stored on your phone by sharing them with the Google Docs app. OCR does a pretty good job capturing unformatted text in English but won't recognize handwriting or some fonts - stay tuned, it will get better over time!
The Google Docs app is currently available in English and works on Android 2.1+ phones. Try it out by scanning the QR code below or by visiting Android Market.
Let us know what you think of the new Google Docs Android app in our forum.
Pleas make a iOs Version!!! Ans Talblet Versions.... Really looking forward to that...
ReplyDeletePlease support small screen(320x240 i think)wildfire etc. thanks
ReplyDeleteTablet version will make me buy an HoneyComb tablet right away! :D
ReplyDeleteSounds great! But as usual, we have to read to the end to find out that this is only available for recent releases of Android. How about adding a line at the top of your blog posts with details of which versions your new features apply to?
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or does it still open documents in the browser? If I set Docs as default, it just endlessly keeps jumping between the app and the Browser, prompting for the account.
ReplyDeleteYes! Finally!!!
ReplyDeleteThe doc viewing/editing are only the web version.. disappointed :(
ReplyDeleteDocs Viewer and Editor are web-similar and very unuseful. There is no zooming for simple documents, only for sheets and images. Then I can't see docs in offline mode, only list of them. What is cache setting for? Offline viewing and editing are important features for me.
ReplyDeleteBut I like the trend.
Thank you Google! I have been waiting for this for so long. However, to actually add value please add offline capabilities and built in editing. Otherwise, there is not much added value above and beyond simply opening Docs in the browser.
ReplyDeleteI was excited because I do a lot of spreadsheet editing in Google Docs. The problem has been that it is next to impossible to edit a spreadsheet in a mobile browser on a phone so I was excited to see this app come out. Unfortunately it was a real let down. Editing the docs was just as bad as in a mobile browser, the cells still don't lock their position... I haven't found an advantage versus viewing in a browser.
ReplyDeleteI'm uninstalling to get that space back on my Evo since the manufacturer was so stingy with on board storage, though I'll be keeping an eye out on this app for (hopefully) some great improvements!
Please work on making editing files easier.
ReplyDeleteCan you please integrate Google cloud print into this app?
ReplyDeleteDoes not work, It picks and chooses what it wants to convert and skips everything else. Does not even try to convert it. I tried it on a clear printed sheet of paper with Arial 14 font.
ReplyDeleteIs the ocr engine Tesseract? Perhaps then Tesseract will be more stable soon...
ReplyDeleteLove the color hue... wish this applied to the whole Android OS... :)
ReplyDeleteI have been waiting for this forever, but this is disappointing. I wish this didn't use web viewer to edit! Looking forward to a meaningful update to this. At least its a start!
ReplyDeleteGoogle Apps with my own domain is my default login, with a personal gmail login account as well. When I use my Google Apps, it keeps on asking me to select an account, tries to open, then asks me to select account... over and over. The gmail google docs works fine. Any ideas?
ReplyDeletecan't find it on my market... is it because of my small screen resolution (qvga)?
ReplyDeleteIs anyone having this problem on the Droid 2 for the doc scan feature: you hear the camera shutter go off, but then it just returns to the home screen. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWindows Phone 7 app, please!
ReplyDeleteCould the editor be more "native", than embedded web editor? Please, please please!
ReplyDeleteNice start, but we want offline support ....
ReplyDeleteExcellent. I love being able to access my docs more quickly through the app!
ReplyDeleteHi, what is the smallest supported screen resolution? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAlmost every Google app supports QVGA resolution: why not Google Docs?
ReplyDeleteSpreadsheet editing seems to be no different than just opening the spreadsheet in the browser. So the app is basically useless.
ReplyDeleteHow do I import a file that is an attachment in an email on my Gmail app?
ReplyDeleteHow do you use it as the default reader if you have quickoffice?
ReplyDeleteplease make it available on iOS too!! ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is soooo badass, thanks!
ReplyDeleteCan some one clarify if this is compatible and optimized for Android 3.0?
ReplyDeleteAre you sure this is not an April's Fool ? It just open the web editor, which FYI only works properly on 2.2 and not in 2.1. It's a shame to publish a beginner's lame app with the name of Google. Please delete it from the market and fire the team who made it (if it wasn't a one man's job as it looks). But for the record it works on QVGA on my U8110.
ReplyDeleteIf you love your Android phone, a number of quality applications now made available for it will make you love it even more. (And if you don't love your phone, maybe with these apps, you will finally grow to appreciate it!)
ReplyDeletebest android apps
Wow! This is pretty great. Thanks Google team, I've been waiting for this.
ReplyDeleteI have two silly feature suggestions to add to all the others:
1) Some way to jump to the top of the document-- I've been using GDocs as a way to create a vet med handbook, but it's very long. The hyperlinks from the table of contents are great, but in the web version, I have a footer on every page linking to the top. I'd rather not have to manually enter a "top" link every so often.
2) Is there a way that you could have text input via microphone but without stopping at the first pause? This would be nice for transcribing messages communicated to clients on the phone directly into a document, instead of taking notes and relying on memory afterwards.
Anyway, thanks again Google Team! I've been playing with this for half an hour, and love the new app :D
get mobile at http://allkeygen.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteWithout offline support, this app is pretty much useless.
ReplyDeleteI also have a Droid 2 and have the same issue as a user above. After selecting the option to take a picture of a document, the Droid 2 camera clicks a few times and then jumps back to the Docs homepage. What is more odd is that the camera continues to do that even after exiting Docs. A reboot is required in order to get the camera to function again.
ReplyDeleteA bug fix would be much appreciated.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI also am experiencing the problem on my Droid 2. I'd love to try out the OCR feature once this is fixed. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLike many others have commented, I was really hoping this would provide offline viewing and editing. It took a while to figure this out - even the reviews that are out there didn't seem to address the fact that this is missing the ability to view offline. To be honest, I really can't understand the benefit of having an app that gives me a list of my documents and then basically opens them in a browser.
ReplyDeleteHoping for offline capabilities soon...
Great, but a "Rotate photo" would be useful.
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteCan you make the Share option consistent with Android conventions? Share should bring option to email, etc.
Thanks
No rich text editing = FAIL
ReplyDeleteNo offline editing and sync = FAIL
OCR is a nice feature, but please, let's get the fundamental basics working first, then add on the nice to have features.
Thanks!
Wow… Finally I got the website for which I am searching for such a long time… I found my favorite
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. i really had good time reading this.
ReplyDeleteT-Mobile G2x
http://www.cellhub.com/t-mobile-cell-phones/t-mobile-g2x-with-google-dark-ale.html
Please, make a Symbian version!
ReplyDeleteDear Google Mobile Team,
ReplyDeletecould you please tell me what changes Google Docs android app does to Settings -> Accounts -> Other Accounts because after installation it ruined my Motorola Milestone 2!!
It has replace Motorola Blur's google accounts handling with Google's android default google account handling to add Google Docs sync feature but this change ruined ALL the SYNC system of Milestone 2 phone!!
Gmail push notification (and autosync) is not operate at all!! Calendar and Contacts autosync too!!
MotoBlur has more flexible google accounts sync options. I can choose for each google account if I want to sync only contacts on one account or only gmail on second one etc!!
I have uninstalled Google Docs app but the Motoblur google account handling didn't came back!!
Could you please tell me what system settings package I must restore from a previous Titanium backup to get Motoblur's google account sync options back??
Thanks in advance,
George Paloukis
Sorry guys,
ReplyDeleteFalse Alarm :)
Sync options of Google Accounts settings disappeared because autosync button in Power Control widget was off!
I'll try to install Google Docs app again and check sync functionality!
George Paloukis
The app is quite good but I mostly use it for quick edits of a spreadsheet I have. When I try and select a cell, it pauses for a second or two and then highlights the entire row, which is by design but really annoying, especially the pause. Why can't I just edit one cell like in every other spreadsheet editing program? It also seems to be quite innacurate in terms of where I tap. I have no problems with this in any other app including spreadsheet editing in ThinkFree Office.
ReplyDeleteSamsung Galaxy S on 2.2
Can't move to SD. Lame. No thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've changed my mind, I can't stand this app! In addtion to the problems above, I can't open my documents when I don't have signal. There is an option to set the amount of cache - what is it caching? Surely it should just work like offline files! Uninstalled!!
ReplyDeleteCan't edit cells with formulas in spreadsheets. Sure glad I checked this before relying on it!
ReplyDelete