Microsoft launches app store on Android platform

TO ENCOURAGE users of Android -- which is by far the most popular mobile operating system in the world -- to use its apps, Microsoft has created its own store on Google Play.

This store, which takes the form of an app, enables anyone to easily access and download any of Microsoft's apps that are Android-compatible, such as Office, Skype and Wunderlist.

Microsoft's idea is to have its apps on everyone's screen and to make them popular outside of the Windows universe. While its operating system is still dominant in the PC sphere, the same cannot be said for mobile phones, where Microsoft is still struggling to establish itself. In the third quarter of 2015, sales of smartphones running Windows Phone only accounted for 1.7% of the total (down by 1.3 points), according to Gartner figures.

As a result, Microsoft has decided to launch its own store within Google Play in the form of an app. Microsoft Apps contains links to around 80 apps categorized by theme (communication, education, finance, photography, productivity, etc.).

In addition to well-known apps such as the Office suite and Skype, Microsoft Apps enables you to discover other less familiar apps that it wants to bring to the fore. There are also apps bought by Microsoft such as the task manager Wunderlist and the calendar app Sunrise.

Microsoft Apps is free and can be downloaded from Google Play.