Apple has released iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 with the new collaboration app, Freeform. The app is described as a platform that gives users the ‘ability to see, share, and collaborate all in one place without worrying about layouts and page sizes, and with full support for Apple Pencil.’
Apple’s ecosystem gains a flexible digital canvas with the new Freeform app
The Cupertino tech giant describes Freeform as the “perfect whiteboard experience for gathering inspiration and ideas all in one place.” The platform serves as an infinite canvas that expands as content is added to the board for unlimited flexibility when collaborating with other users and dealing with numerous files.
“Freeform opens up endless possibilities for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to visually collaborate,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With an infinite canvas, support for uploading a wide range of files, iCloud integration, and collaboration capabilities, Freeform creates a shared space for brainstorming that users can take anywhere.”
Freeform offers a bunch of tools for users to unleash their creativity from various brush styles, color options, and more. Collaborators can draw anywhere on the canvas, add comments and draw diagrams. The app also features full support for Apple Pencil.
The app supports a plethora of files including photos, video, audio, documents, PDFs, links to websites and map location links, sticky notes, shapes, diagrams, and more. Collaborators can also use the camera of their iPhone or iPad to quickly insert an image of a scanned document straight into the board.
Users can drag and drop content onto the board from other apps including Files and Finder, and with built-in alignment guides, it is easy to keep the board organized. With Quick Look, users can preview content with a double tap without ever leaving the board, and multiple video files can play at the same time to create a dynamic view. Content like images and PDFs can be locked into place on a board, and collaborators can then annotate on top of or around the object — making Freeform the perfect tool for sketching ideas on top of floor plans for a home renovation project, or for coaches to map out plays on an image of a basketball court.
One of the most attractive features of Freeform is that the app can support up to 100 users collaborating on the same project. Invitations to a Freeform board can be simply by simply dragging it into Messages. When a user makes an edit to a collaboration, activity updates will show up at the top of the Messages thread.
Freeform also allows users to start a FaceTime call from within the tap by tapping the collaboration button at the top right of the screen. Lastly, collaborative boards created within the app are synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac for easy access. Users can also invite other collaborators using a link or email. The boards can also be exported as a PDF or a screenshot.
