with the 'on my ipad' section lacking any sort of functionality in the betas, are we to expect apple are still working on it or is it not coming?
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Will the Files app support full local storage management before prime time?
- Thread starter MartinAppleGuy
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I don’t think they will add a full, freely structured, hierarchical local area, no. It looks like they just intend “On my iDevice” section for throwing things into and taking things out of app’s sandboxed documents areas.
The good news is that apps like Documents by Readdle should be able to pick up the slack and integrate a local filesystem area, which you can freely structure, right into Files. Then, moving in and out of that area and among all the cloud providers and servers should be easy and consistent across iOS.
It's just hard for me to see how apple can call the iPad a pro device and sell it with 512GB of storage and the only real thing we can fill it up with is non pro content such as movies and music. 5GB of iCloud drive is not going to be my primary storage area if I have a while half terabyte on the local device. I love my new iPad Pro, and it does all the pro tasks in my work flow I expect app wise, but to miss this functionality and make us use a 3rd party app is nothing short of lazy.
I'm disappointed with some aspects of Files app too and I expect it will be iterated a bit next year. Thankfully, as I said, it's openness will likely be it's saving grace and 3rd parties will step in this year (and no doubt be Sherlocked next year when Apple will have learned from them)
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iOS needs to facilitate syncing sans-cloud with my other - at least Apple-branded - devices.
Like why the hell can my theoretical Watch unlock my Mac but to keep sensitive documents in-sync I have to open iTunes or initiate a SAMBA share sync on my iPad within a third-party app?
Oh and not just sensitive data, just big data that doesn't change often too.
Why pump everything into the cloud when I could sync everything through the fastest lane possible: local sync?
Of course Apple doesn't earn a dime when I use SAMBA, but they really are stretching the lightness of the OS here a little too much, especially as it's very limited and many features cannot be supplied by third party apps either due to lack of public APIs or lack of background/scheduled tasking.
Glassed Silver:ios
Like why the hell can my theoretical Watch unlock my Mac but to keep sensitive documents in-sync I have to open iTunes or initiate a SAMBA share sync on my iPad within a third-party app?
Oh and not just sensitive data, just big data that doesn't change often too.
Why pump everything into the cloud when I could sync everything through the fastest lane possible: local sync?
Of course Apple doesn't earn a dime when I use SAMBA, but they really are stretching the lightness of the OS here a little too much, especially as it's very limited and many features cannot be supplied by third party apps either due to lack of public APIs or lack of background/scheduled tasking.
Glassed Silver:ios
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Local storage would be enough for me to purchase an IPP. I was really hoping this would pan out and be a real thing. Until it actually works though, I still cant abandon the old laptop....
One drive was just updated with the ability to download entire folders for use offline. Might be a step towards folder sync in files app
Now that would be worth while, I'd love Google to do this with drive but they always take years to add basic ios features like splitscreen, iPad apps, and pip
I just want the files app to give me access to the local media I load to my device (that is associated with the TV app). Not stuff I’ve purchased on iTunes but stuff I’ve manually synced using iTunes on my PC. If it says On my iPad it should include everything on my iPad.
I would love to be able to hook an external media drive to the iPad and access files that way.
Blows my mind that it is supposed to be a Pro device and you still cant even download any files you want with safari. Like ... all we need is a sandboxed "Download" folder with an open with pop up to open the file with an app of your choosing without making multiple copies of the same file within different apps. Not that hard. Been on computers since like ever
The pro device you mention does run other apps that do what you want, even if Safari doesn’t. Try Documents 6 which has a built in browser that lets you download.
The APIs for opening, editing and saving files ’in place’ across apps without copying and creating duplicates has been there for a few years now (iOS 8?) but very very few apps have taken advantage of it. Not sure why.
But it is theoretically possible to use one app to download files from Safari, use that app as your general file manager, and then use other apps to open a file held in that file manager app, edit it and save it back to the file manager app. It’s a shame the software implementations aren’t really there.
The user experience could be better, but can't you just long tap a link to a file, and then share it to iCloud drive? Or click it, it opens in safari, from there you can share to iCloud drive, or if safari doesn't understand the file type, I thought it gave you a download to iCloud link.
I wonder how much this comes into play for what Apple is and isn't allowing in the files app.
What you want will not exist. Ever.
It is not the way that any software vendor is attempting to go.
Traditional file management is over. Any sane OS developer is sandboxing the crap out of everything for security purposes, and that means giving you limited access to the underlying file system.
The only reason macOS and Windows 10 are not the same as iOS is due to legacy compatibility reasons. iOS does not have that baggage to deal with.
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Uh... you can buy a couple of terabytes of icloud, you can use dropbox, onedrive, etc.?
This "i don't know how they can call X a pro device" stuff needs to stop.
"Pro" doesn't mean "i have root/system access to this device". Pro devices are defined by what you can actually use them to create or administer.
The iPad is a tool in your tool box. Stop thinking old school local file storage and think of it as a client device to access your files that are stored elsewhere. That you can then access from any device (like a pro, who has things to do and many tools to use to do the things with).
The iPad (or for that matter, any iCloud app, or any new Windows Store application storage on a Windows 8-10 PC) is not intended to be a primary storage location. It's a cache for frequently accessed or recent documents.
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The iPad is a portable device, I don't have access to the internet. Sad what's the point of all those device storage if you're telling me to get cloud? Seriously... fair enough if it syncs and is all offline but cmon.
I agree with you but it certainly looks like some are not bothered by being unable to access any files when they are not online. I spend way too much time in client buildings with really bad or no wifi access and simply can't be without access to files.
It makes me realize that some people never travel or never go outside of areas where wireless technology arrives. It makes me feel a bit uneasy.
What exactly is missing for you?
I've had jailbroken iPads in the past with full file system access and I'm stoked about finally having access to every apps documents folder - that's all you really need.
Plugging other devices into it I get - but as a standalone device, I can copy and move files around apps just fine now. I can access other apps documents from other apps...what am I missing that you need to do? Create folders?
You want a general area to save things? Just get an app to do it. If safari / Apple apps don't cut it for you, move to a third-party app, there's plenty of choice out there.
It's doesn't seem like much now, but eventually when apps are updated to support the iOS 11 file management it's going to be great. Just check over the files documentation / watch the WWDC videos to find out.
I'm still very much anti cloud, but I can definitely work with the tools Apple has given in files now - the only thing lacking for me is usb drives, everything else can easily be done with apps.
I've had jailbroken iPads in the past with full file system access and I'm stoked about finally having access to every apps documents folder - that's all you really need.
Plugging other devices into it I get - but as a standalone device, I can copy and move files around apps just fine now. I can access other apps documents from other apps...what am I missing that you need to do? Create folders?
You want a general area to save things? Just get an app to do it. If safari / Apple apps don't cut it for you, move to a third-party app, there's plenty of choice out there.
It's doesn't seem like much now, but eventually when apps are updated to support the iOS 11 file management it's going to be great. Just check over the files documentation / watch the WWDC videos to find out.
I'm still very much anti cloud, but I can definitely work with the tools Apple has given in files now - the only thing lacking for me is usb drives, everything else can easily be done with apps.
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Really?
I have no problems having PDFs and importing my RAW photos on my iPad. I also have no issues editing my MS Office files, and this is not even iOS11.
What's your definition of a Pro device?
And 5GB iCloud? How is this related with your complaint?
I have no management over HTML or css files. All apps are only Compatible with iCloud drive and even then it's exporting and importing...
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And the complaint is even with over 200GB free on my ipad Pro after over one hundred apps, I can't save things locally. I need to use cloud storage. I ain't talking basic stuff like photo storing. Why can't I store files locally with so much storage, even a chrome let's you store files in a download area. Anything gets from zipped PSD templates to PHP files.
You sync when connected to the network and move on.
You may not like that, but having sync work properly across many devices is not really compatible with full access to the entire file system on the device.
Not everyone has, needs, wants multiple devices. Many people would be quite happy having their files only on their iPad.
You simply want to do stuff a mobile device doesnt do. Mobile devices werent meant to edit/manage HTML/CSS files to do those types of niche things; unless there is an app that lets you do so in its sandbox and store those locally. Ie. Pixelmatr will open .psd files and likely stores them in its sandbox; why you would need central access to them as no other app can do anything with that filetype is unknown.
Despite what Apple says an ipad does not full replace a computer for all people. Perhaps an ipad is not the device for you