Microsoft Mobile Services refers to all proprietary software that is owned by Microsoft. They are geared towards mobile computing platforms. These platforms include Windows mobile, iOS, and Android.
Microsoft is a multinational tech company located in the United States of America. They are one of the big five tech companies in the US, alongside Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple and Meta (Facebook).
Microsoft started as primarily a software company. They develop and produce software for a variety of uses across different computing platforms. They also produce hardware such as electronics, PCs, consoles, tablets, etc. Some of their flagship hardware include the XBox and the Microsoft Surface lineup. The company also provides venture capitalists funds as well as internet services.
Whilst Microsoft has traditionally held a strong presence in the PC market since the 1980s. They have started to become more prominent in the smartphone space. They have a plethora of apps for mobile platforms.
All apps and mobile services provided by Microsoft are collectively called Microsoft Mobile Services. These apps serve a variety of purposes and provide different types of services. They can be found on the AppStore (iOS) or PlayStore (Google).
Recommended: Google’s Mobile Services (GMS)
Microsoft Mobile Services
Internet
Microsoft owns a search engine known as Bing. Bing can be accessed over the internet on any browser. Microsoft also has an app to help users access Bing easily. The name of the app of course is Bing. The company also has its multi-purpose browser known as Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft provides an all-in-one email messaging app. This app connects to its email services such as Outlook and Exchange. It also connects services from other companies like Yahoo! Mail, iCloud, IBM Notes Traveler, and GMail.
Office Mobile
Microsoft has some of (if not) the best word processors in the world. Although they were originally made for PCs, they have been ported to mobile. They include Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Lens, Office Remote, etc.
Recommended: How to use Microsoft Word for Android
Cloud
The company offers cloud storage and computing services. It does this through its One Drive and Microsoft Azure apps respectively.
Communication
Microsoft offers a variety of apps for interpersonal communication. The most popular of these is Skype. Others include Kaizala and Teams.
Productivity
These apps are designed to help increase the productivity of their users. They include Microsoft To Do, Planner, Power Apps for Utility, etc.
Recommended: Huawei Mobile Services (HMS)
Education
Microsoft has two very good apps for educational purposes on Playstore. They are Microsoft Maths Solver and Microsoft Whiteboard (for art). There are other ones but these two are my favourites.
Apps
These are general mobile apps for simple smartphone use. Some of the very well-known ones include the Microsoft Swift Key which is a very good alternative to Google Keyboard and the Microsoft launcher. Others include Microsoft Translator, Stocks, Weather, etc.
Games
Microsoft has some decent games too, some of which include Forza Street Racing and Sudoku.
How to get Microsoft Mobile Services
If you use Android, iOS, or Windows Mobile, you can simply download them from your designated app store, free of charge.
Praises and criticism
Microsoft apps and services are mostly designed for work purposes and are very efficient at it. The apps have been lauded for removing the dependency that a lot of people have on PCs. They allow you to type, make spreadsheets, or receive work mail anywhere and at any time.
On the other hand, they have also been heavily criticized for paying lip service to their mobile apps in many cases. Most of the mobile apps are slimmed-down versions of their PC counterparts and lack many functionalities.
App development and updates are slow and sometimes, they tend to break the app or make it buggy and unstable.
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