Dropbox has launched a new iOS app with the goal to provide users with the same type of functionality and speed they would typically get on desktop machines.
By Tas Bindi | October 11, 2016, 9:33 PM PST
Dropbox has added new productivity features to its iOS application, as it attempts to make working on mobile devices as productive and efficient as working on desktop computers.
Among its new features is the ability to sign PDFs and share Dropbox files in iMessage while conversing with teammates on the go.
The company has also introduced a new lock screen widget that allows users to start workflows — such as create, scan, view, and upload images and documents — without having to unlock their mobile devices.
Users can also get real-time file updates — a notification is sent to users as soon as someone saves a new version of a file they're viewing. A "refresh" button appears that users can tap to see what changes have been made to the file.
"The goal was to [contain] these workflows that involve multiple steps within the Dropbox app experience," said Matt Pan, Group Product Manager for Dropbox's File Collaboration Product Group, in an interview with TechRepublic.
"We are constantly building on top of the latest functionality iOS and different operating systems provide to create integrated experiences for our users."
Other new features include the iPad Picture-in-Picture, which allows users to watch a video on Dropbox while using another app on their iPad — for example, an annotation app. In the coming weeks, Dropbox will also launch split-screen capabilities to allow users to work across multiple apps without having to toggle back and forth.
"The last two features are all about multitasking. We have a meaningful contingent of iPad users who are using Dropbox extensively for work productivity; and increasingly, they want the same multitasking [capabilities] that they get on desktop machines, on their iPad," Pan told TechRepublic.
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