OneDrive For iOS Gets Big Update

OneDrive for iOS has been given a significant update, with a refreshed UI, better support for accessing SharePoint files, drag and drop support, a bunch of new file previewers and tighter integration with the iOS Files app. These are welcome changes that make Microsoft’s file sync and share service feel more like an integrated part of iOS than a bolt-on app.

The updated OneDrive app (accessible through the App Store), now boast improved support for the iPhone X as well. Other aspects of the interface have been redesigned to make it less cluttered as well.

I’ve been a OneDrive user for some time, as an Office 365 subscriber, and while it used to be far less reliable and slower than it’s main rivals, Dropbox and Google Drive, it’s now a far more robust application and service. The big ticket item, for me, is the better integration with Apple’s Files app. Now, when you choose OneDrive from the sidebar, rather than opening another window on the screen, your OneDrive files and folders appear within the Files app, on the right-side of the screen.

The new file viewers are handy as well. Included in the over 130 different supported file types are Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, RAW, 3D objects, high-precision DICOM, TIFF files, iWork Files and Java/C/Swift. And those files can be either in OneDrive or SharePoint with the ability to label locations in other repository as favourite locations.

The update was pushed out yesterday, but I needed to manually refresh my list of apps to update in order for the new version to show up.

With Microsoft continuing to assert themselves as a multi-platform company, this update highlights their desire to have their software on every device you use. While the company’s founder Bill Gates once said he wanted a PC in every home, it seems Satya Nadella has a grander vision of Microsoft’s software being with you everywhere.