Microsoft 365 Copilot app for iOS gets AI file previews, with editing moving to standalone Office apps
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Microsoft, as expected, is updating how iOS users interact with files on their mobile devices. According to a new update, the Microsoft 365 Copilot app for iOS has been updated with AI-powered file previews. With this move, the company is keeping Copilot Chat at the center of productivity on iPhone and iPad.
Instead of acting as another Word or Excel editor, the Copilot app will now focus on AI summaries, Q&A, and insights, while redirecting editing to the standalone Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps.
In other words, file consumption is now powered by in-context previews, but direct editing has been removed altogether. From now on, tapping on a document inside Copilot will instead launch it in the dedicated app for a full editing experience.
With the latest update, iOS users can:
- Instantly create Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files by feeding Copilot Chat prompts or text snippets.
- Preview documents with AI assistance to get summaries, answers, and intelligent suggestions.
- Share files into Copilot for quick context extraction, perfect for understanding long reports on the go.
- Use natural language search to find content across OneDrive and Microsoft 365 (Enterprise-only feature).
By removing file management tasks like folder browsing, Microsoft is also pushing users toward the OneDrive app for storage control. Well, the change is rolling out gradually, starting with in-app notifications in September.
By October, iPhone users in TestFlight will see the full transition to preview-only, with general availability expected later that month. Moreover, Microsoft says iPad support will follow before the end of the year.
If you’re on Android devices, the change will also rollout for you, though Microsoft hasn’t fonfirmed any timeline as such.
