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Dropbox's answer to Google Docs is now available on iOS and Android

Dropbox's answer to Google Docs is now available on iOS and Android

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Dropbox Paper is now available on iOS and Android, allowing users to collaborate on documents in real time. The software first launched in private beta last year as Dropbox's answer to Google Docs, but is now available for anyone to try. You can join the beta at dropbox.com/paper and download the app from the App Store or the Play Store.

In our hands-on with Paper last year we thought it was a "simple, elegant place to write" on the desktop. "It eschews the clunky, Microsoft Word-like menus and toolbars of Google Docs in favor of a Medium-like plain white page," wrote The Verge's Casey Newton. Highlighting text brings up formatting options, and you can easily embed rich media, such as YouTube videos and SoundCloud files. On the mobile web though, it was much clunkier — so it's good news that Paper finally has a dedicated mobile app.

The release of Paper for iOS and Android is a minor milestone in Dropbox's difficult, ongoing pivot from a file-syncing business to an enterprise one. The company has wasted time and money on apps like Mailbox and Carousel, but for it to survive in offices around the world, it needs projects like Paper to pay off. Though given the relatively light feature-set of Paper, it might also need to move a little faster.