Microsoft Rolls Out New Navigation Tool for Mobile Office Apps

The Microsoft Office apps for Android and iOS are set to receive a new navigation system, bringing them closer in style to the Office desktop apps. The update will make document writing and editing much easier for mobile Office users.

Mobile Microsoft Office Apps Receive New Navigation Header

The new navigation feature will first appear in the Microsoft Word apps for Android and iOS. It will bring Document Heading navigation to the mobile apps for the first time, allowing you to search through and manage your mobile Word documents using section Headings.

The Document Headings navigation feature will also use an "Intelligence algorithm" to detect headings not marked as Headings in your Word document.

The algorithm can scan your document and pinpoint sections of text likely to be a Heading. From there, you can confirm if the algorithm detection is correct, potentially speeding up your editing process.

Related: How to Get a Microsoft Office License for Free

You can find the new Document Headings navigation option by tapping the three-dot menu icon, then selecting Document Headings. The new menu will then populate with the existing Headings in your document or suggestions for Headings from the algorithm. You can also toggle the Auto-Detected Headings option from this menu.

While the Document Headings navigation feature is rolling out to users already, the Microsoft Tech Community blog explains that Microsoft "would like your feedback on the accuracy of these detections." As the AI algorithm is learning what constitutes a header, it may take time to improve the automated feature.

The new Document Headings feature is available to Android and iOS Microsoft Word apps running version 13530.10000 on Android and version 2.43 on iOS. You'll also find the new feature in the combined Office Mobile App on iOS, running version 2.43. However, the Document Headings feature is yet to arrive on the combined Android Office Mobile app.

More Features for Microsoft Office Mobile Apps

Microsoft is pouring more time and effort into its mobile apps than ever before.

In early 2020, Microsoft launched the unified Office app for iOS and Android, bringing Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a single mobile app. The app also includes similar functionality to Microsoft Lens, a document scanning app that was also previously separate, plus some handy file transfer options.

Related: Microsoft Launches a New Office App for Android and iOS

The unified app finally brings "all of your Office documents together in one place, reduces the need to switch between multiple apps, and significantly reduces the amount of space used on your phone compared to multiple installed apps."

However, the individual Microsoft Office mobile apps are still available on Android and iOS if you prefer that option.

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