If you’re a Microsoft Office user who is thinking about getting a new iPad Pro in November, there’s something you should know. Unlike on your existing iOS devices, you’ll have to pay to use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on the larger screen.
Microsoft made Office free for mobile devices with screens that measure 10.1 inches or less back in March, so you can view and edit Office documents on your iPhone, iPad mini, and even iPad Air for free. But when you upgrade to an iPad Pro, that will change.
Because the iPad Pro’s display measures 12.9 inches, you’ll need an Office 365 subscription if you want to do more than just view Office documents. However, Microsoft hasn’t quite worked out how it’s going to implement this on iOS just yet.
“We contacted Microsoft about this licensing situation, and company representatives confirmed both the [Office 365] subscription requirement, and that the software would in some way enforce the lock-out on the iPad Pro,” reports Ars Technica.
The report adds, however, that “the user experience has not been finalized or publicly revealed, and that it is too early to say precisely what will happen, if anything, when users try to run the software on the iPad Pro.”
Microsoft already enforces this rule on Android and Windows, so it’s nothing new. However, it will be the first time iOS users encounter it. You’ll still be able to download the Office Mobile apps for free from the App Store, but a subscription to Office 365 is $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year.
