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Back when Google was primarily a Web entity, before Android and other products like the Chromebook came along, it was unthinkable for them to try and take on Microsoft and other traditional software firms. That’s just what they did however with Google Docs, and then Google Slides and Sheets, they offered people free alternatives to the likes of Microsoft Word and such with their own Google-touch on top. That touch on top has been collaboration, it’s super-easy to share a document or project with someone else using Google Drive and it’s easy to make comments to these as well. Now, Google has made it easier to see when and by whom these comments have been made.
As the Google Apps Update blog details, both users on the Web as well as Android will get notifications when someone has made a comment, as well as a snippet of what the comment is. Google says these notifications will follow all the other notification rules on Android, so you can expect these sort of notifications to look just like a WhatsApp message, for instance. While it doesn’t appear essential to have the new versions of Docs, Sheets and Slides installed Google does say that “you will only receive Android notifications if you have the latest Google Drive for Android app”. According to the blog post, this should roll out to all users within 1 – 3 days or so, and will then make it easier to collaborate with people whether you’re on the Desktop or on the move.
It’s a wonder that something like this hasn’t been added to Google Drive and its productivity options in the past, but we suppose that there has to be a reason why this has taken so long. Chief among them might be Microsoft’s renewed approach to Android and their focus on making Word and PowerPoint easier to collaborate with. These notifications look nice and neat, and they will certainly help those that use Google’s productivity options to keep their teams on the same page and so on. If you’ve not got the Drive app installed, you can download it from the Google Play button below and this could also trigger an update for you as well.
