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Editors' note: The most recent update to Google Drive significantly improved the app's Spreadsheets editor, which previously was its biggest flaw.
Similar to the experience on the Web, Google Drive for Android opens up to a main navigation panel, from which you can see a list of all your files (My Drive), files that have been shared with you, starred files, recently modified files, or offline files. There are also controls for creating new documents or spreadsheets, and uploading files to be stored on your Drive. The built-in widget gives you a quick, one-tap way to create or upload files to your drive, and you can even add Home screen shortcuts directly to files or folders.
Tap any item in your list for options to Share, Rename, Delete, or send a link to your file. These controls should feel familiar to anyone who previously used the Google Docs app. From the Google Drive app, you can even make files available for viewing while offline, which is a godsend when traveling to areas with questionable data coverage.
In previous versions of Google Drive, file editing was basic, but with the most recent update, the app has significantly powered up on that front. The Documents editor still offers alignment options, lists, bold, italic, and underline, as well as a rudimentary color tool, but now it also offers the capability to edit tables. But the biggest news is that the Spreadsheets editor is now worlds better than it was before. With the update, things now work as they should, and you can simply single-tap a cell to edit it. Also, formatting is now maintained when you cut and paste content among documents in Google Drive. As for Presentations and Drawings, you can view them through the app, but you still can't edit them. To me, this isn't much of a loss, though, since these types of files are typically better handled with a mouse and full-size monitor. Lastly, you can now create, reply to, and resolve comments via the Documents editor.
On top of all the old Google Docs functionality, Google Drive is really just a simple file storage platform. Like Dropbox, it automatically syncs with the cloud, so that everything is consistent across all of your devices. Also, it lets you share (add collaborators to) any kind of file, including music, images, and videos. Altogether, it is a fantastic option for storing, syncing, sharing, and collaborating.
