There are several reasons why it isn't fun to write formatted documents on a phone, but one of the biggest is how arduous the process of doing simple things like hyperlinking or adding images is. Well, Google rolled out an update to the Android app for Docs that makes these tasks far easier. From within the app, you can now perform Google searches, read webpages, and insert links or images in a very user-friendly way.

In the Docs app, you can now use a feature called "Research" in the overflow menu. This brings you an in-app interface to make the process of finding and using external sources way simpler.

Above you get a look at what searching and reading within this interface looks like. Once you have found a link you might want to insert into your document, just hit the chainlink button.

Images are just as easy. Using the same search dialogue, just switch to the images tab instead. Once you find one you like, tap on it and hit the insert button to add it to the document.

It's very straightforward.

There is also a slightly more fully-featured version of this available for the web app version of Docs, but it is understandably a less crucial feature set. It does include some really nifty stuff like the ability to search Scholar or for quotations directly from a sidebar along with MLA/APA/Chicago style auto-generated citations.

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This is a real value-added proposition for Docs on Android, making what is normally a pain in the ass into something that is just as simple as it is on a desktop form factor.

Download

The newest version of Docs, version 1.4.352.08.34, includes this feature. You can wait for the Play Store to send it out or head over to APK Mirror to avoid the wait.

Source: Google for Work Blog