Google has announced three standalone mobile apps for the Docs, Sheets, and Slides productivity services. The new mobile apps for Docs and Sheets are available for on Google Play Store and Apple's App Store starting today, while the Slides mobile app will release at a later date.

"When you open the new apps, you’ll see your most recently edited files, which means less time searching and scrolling," announced Google in a blog post. "The apps also come with offline support built in, so you can easily view, edit and create files without an Internet connection."

Google has long allowed users of its cloud-based productivity suite to create, view, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations within the Google Drive mobile app, but now it is unveiling separate apps. It is unclear why Google decided to build the apps, and give them different colour schemes, though it is likely trying to give users a definitive spot for accessing and working with their files beyond going through its Google Drive storage app.

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Keep in mind however that Microsoft recently launched its Office for iPad apps. They require an Office 365 subscription. In addition, Apple offers free iPad productivity apps. Google probably wants to better rival both companies by offering three individual apps of its own that are free to download and

If you don't want to use Google's new apps, you can always still use the Google Drive app.