Microsoft's OneDrive Android app merges personal, professional

Microsoft is trying to make it easier for users to distinguish when they are saving and accessing content in OneDrive consumer vs. OneDrive for Business.

Microsoft has released an updated version of its OneDrive for Android cloud-storage app that adds for the first time on Android support for OneDrive for Business.

The updated Android OneDrive app is available for download for free from the Google Play store as of August 28.

A few months ago, Microsoft moved the different teams working on a consumer version of its OneDrive cloud storage service and the business version of that same service into the same business unit. That may sound like a no-brainer move, but the two different OneDrives have shared little but the OneDrive name. OneDrive for Business is a feature of Office 365 and/or SharePoint.

With today's new unified OneDrive app for Android, nothing has changed from a back-end perspective. There are still separate OneDrive consumer and OneDrive for Business storage services. Microsoft is trying to make it easier for users to distinguish when they are saving and accessing files, documents, and photos in OneDrive consumer vs. OneDrive for Business.

The first revamp of the unified OneDrive consumer/business experience is happening on Android. Microsoft's updated OneDrive for Android app adds support for OneDrive for Business. (Previously, the OneDrive for Android app, which can be used on both Android phones and tablets, supported only the OneDrive consumer cloud storage service.)

A new single Android OneDrive app also features a new interface that allows users to more easily keep their work and personal files separate. Microsoft also has added support for setting up a four-digit pin to the new unified OneDrive Android app.

Microsoft officials said the company will be providing a unified OneDrive consumer/business client app to iOS and Windows Phone devices "in the coming months."

In the interim, Microsoft has made a few tweaks to those OneDrive for iOS and OneDrive for Windows Phone 8.1 apps.

OneDrive for iOS, which works on iPhone and iPad, now lets users swipe down in the app to get a search box to make searching for files and folders quicker and easier. The app also gets an "All Photos" viewing option.

Microsoft is updating OneDrive for Windows Phone 8.1 with an update for the OneDrive recycle bin, making it easier to restore accidentally deleted files and folders. It also is receiving "a number of bug fixes," according to Microsoft officials.