Dropbox confirms support for Files apps in iOS 11

Apple announced the Files app as part of iOS 11 on stage at WWDC 2017, saying that, in addition to on-device documents and iCloud Drive, third-party file storage apps will be able to integrate with Files. Now, one of those partners, Dropbox, has confirmed that it will indeed offer support for Files in iOS 11.

From Dropbox:

More than that, though, it will extend file capabilities system-wide. You'll be able to access files in your Dropbox account from third-party apps just as if they were stored on your iPhone or iPad. This integration will even work with Dropbox-specific features for teams, like commenting and viewer info, letting you collaborate on files from any app that supports file browsing.

File.app gives you a central location for all of your file storage in iOS 11, no matter if you keep items in iCloud or in some other service. It also syncs over the file tags you've created in macOS, offering a seamless file experience between Apple's mobile and desktop operating systems.

Joseph Keller

Joseph Keller is the former Editor in Chief of iMore. An Apple user for almost 20 years, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac.

5 Comments
  • So in order to access an AFP / SMB share, will a 3rd party need to support it and provide integration with Files? Or will that be supported directly in it?
  • More likely that it won't support explicit shares at all. The Files App is a reality because of the new file system Apple is using on all it's devices. It's allows them to get around the sandboxing of apps both in iOS and OS X, but in a secure way. It doesn't mean Apple is really giving you access to real file systems or exposing them to you. Dropbox will be a folder in the Files App. It will just appear when you subscribe to Dropbox and won't allow you to explicitly set it up.
  • This will be very useful for me.
  • DropBox is the one where employees expressly have access to your files right? http://www.pcworld.com/article/2048680/dropbox-takes-a-peek-at-files.html "Dropbox forbids all but a small number of employees from accessing user data." as in they can access it, they're just told not to. I'd be glad to know if this works with something like SyncThing/OwnCloud/BTSync.
  • I hope pCloud will support it as I prefer them over dropbox