Files App: Can you choose which app to open a file in?

[pruppert]

Say you have PDF or txt file. Is there some way to specify what app to open the file with? If yes, how is it done?

 

[DblHelix]

Unknown. Currently only seems to be the cloud drive but it does have my iPhone as a location. Can’t create a new folder or move an item there yet though

 

[Wormald]

Yes - tap on the file and then a share button appears in the top right, leading to a share sheet with options tailored to the file type.

 

[canesalato]

Yes - tap on the file and then a share button appears in the top right, leading to a share sheet with options tailored to the file type.

uhm...but that’s like the old “open in”, which creates copies of the file inside other apps. You are not opening it, you are copying it into another sandbox, this has been possible for many years.

 

[GreyOS]

uhm...but that’s like the old “open in”, which creates copies of the file inside other apps. You are not opening it, you are copying it into another sandbox, this has been possible for many years.

Actually apps can open and edit and save files in place without copying. It depends on the document storage app and which APIs they have implemented. This has been the case for a while now. The same apps already implementing proper opening (rather than copying/exporting) will probably be able to do the same through Files.

 

[Feenician]

Actually apps can open and edit and save files in place without copying. It depends on the document storage app and which APIs they have implemented. This has been the case for a while now. The same apps already implementing proper opening (rather than copying/exporting) will probably be able to do the same through Files.

Yes, this. This has been possible since at least iOS 10 and maybe even 9. It requires the receiving app to have implemented the share sheet properly.

iOS 11 takes it even further. As ever though, it requires the app developer to implement it properly.