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Since the Files app was released with iOS 11, it has become a staple of how I use the iPhone and iPad, and I don’t think it gets enough credit for helping to bridge the gap between macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Among the ability to access all my documents from iCloud Drive in addition to the integration with Google Drive, it is one of the most used applications on my iPhone and iPad.
Before the Archives app was released, I had my documents in separate repositories. I kept personal documents in iCloud Drive, shared folders in Dropbox, and work files in Google Drive since my school uses G Suite. After the release of the Files app with iOS 11, it became the app that used 99% of the time to find and open files, regardless of the cloud provider where they were stored. For people who live and breathe technology every day, I can generally tell where my files are stored, but for people who see technology as a way to do something, trying to locate files is a task. Thanks to the Apple Document Provider API, the Files app becomes a central place to find, manage, and open files. From a training perspective, that’s a powerful feature. All I have to tell someone is to go to the Files app and all their files will be there.
The Files app allows you to add your third-party cloud services, such as Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Drive, and more, so that you can access all your files on all your devices. The data you save to iCloud Drive appears automatically in the Files app, but you must also configure your other cloud services to access it in the Files app.
The only thing someone needs to do is enable the new file provider by going to the Browse tab, tapping the icon in the top right, and tapping Edit. Next, there will be a toggle to enable any new document provider.
What else can the Files app do?
While it’s not something everyone does, the Files app can also connect to SMB servers in your home or workplace. You can access it in the same way that you enable new document providers. By tapping the Edit button on the Browse tab, you will be able to enter a server address and provide the username / password (if required).
On the iPad, the app can also access a USB flash drive, an SD card, or a hard drive. While I never thought Apple would add USB drive support to iPad, it was proven wrong. For people who want to quickly upload photos from a camera into the Files app for editing, this functionality unlocked a complete workflow. All you need to buy is a Lightning to USB adapter for non-Pro iPads. On the iPad Pro, you can connect a hard drive directly by purchasing a USB-C model or by using a USB-C to USB-A adapter.
Wrap
Was the Files app a revolutionary addition to iOS and iPadOS for you like me? I hope that Apple will continue to improve the functionality and provide more options for document providers to expand their functionality. Since launching with iOS 11, I’ve had it on the home screen of my iPad and iPhone. Having all my documents and my desktop synced across all my devices is the functionality I dreamed of for years, and now I have it.
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