Microsoft Planner app for Office 365 subscribers now available on Android

Microsoft is launching a new task management app for Android today called Planner. Previously available as a web app only, Planner works with eligible Office 365 accounts for organizing tasks visually and collaborating across teams.

Planner for Android doesn’t totally match functionality with the web app yet, however, although Microsoft already promises support for creating new plans, push notifications, and Intune integration “in the coming months” on the Office blog.

Microsoft says it created Planner for Android as a response from user feedback after introducing the web app solution:

Starting today, current Planner users can use this companion app to view and update their plans on the go, addressing feedback we’ve heard since the launch of the Planner web app. For people who are new to Planner, you can first get started by visiting tasks.office.com. Once you’ve created your plans in the web app, you can view and update those plans in the mobile experience.

Here’s how Microsoft describes Planner:

Planner provides a simple, visual way to organize teamwork. Planner makes it easy for your team to create new plans, organize and assign tasks, share files, chat about what you’re working on, and get updates on progress.

— Organize work visually — Each plan has its own board, where you can organize tasks into buckets. You can categorize tasks based on their status or on whom they’re assigned to. To update the status or change assignments, just drag and drop tasks between columns.

— Visibility — The My Tasks view provides a comprehensive list of all your tasks and their status across all your plans. When working together on a plan, team members always know who is working on what.

— Collaborate — Built for Office 365, Planner lets you work together on the same tasks, attach captured photos directly to them, and even have conversations around tasks without switching between apps. With Planner, all your team’s discussions and deliverables stay with the plan and don’t get locked away across disparate applications.

— Works across devices — Planner works across all your devices. And with Planner, everyone is always on the same page. Continue conversations and updates tasks while on-the-go or at your desk.

Microsoft Planner for Android is available for free on the Play Store. Planner is also available for iOS starting today. Eligible Office 365 accounts include “Enterprise E1–E5, Business Essentials, Business Premium and Education subscription plans.”

Microsoft also recently introduced the first preview version of its upcoming Wunderlist-replacement called To-Do with an Android version.