Files 4+

Before I begin, I just want to state that I say this from a place of hope that Apple will address these issues in future updates. I have seen iPadOS progress in the past few years and, hopefully, this slow but necessary progress and evolution will continue.

That being said…

The Files app on iPad is quite frankly one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had. To use this app to transfer, access, download, upload, and even export to is painful. I have lost footage, I have lost projects, I have had to cancel projects that I have wanted to work on, and I have never in my three years as a college student experienced something as excruciating as using the Files app on a daily basis.

I say this as someone who has to deal with ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD.

The access of servers on Files is broken. Using this to access servers, even when connected directly to it via a cable, is frustrating to be kind.

Having to access RAW files is painful. The fact that iPads are said to be video editing dreams by some, yet some file formats still cannot be supported WHATSOEVER, drives me insane.

The UI is also trash, I get confused as to where things are located and what specific area it is in. This is especially painful considering file management is somewhat good on macOS, but here it feels like Apple has sent me to the dark ages when the Black Plague existed. Everything feels like a mess.

Ok let’s start.
I have all my photos & videos on iCloud. Not to photos, but to files. Why? I will let you know after. Let’s focus on the files app now. After you open a video or a photo or whatever you want to open, this app, files app, download the file to the phone, to have easy access for it real quick if you wish to open it again, and here is the problem. I have 2tb iCloud, I have a lot of content there, and on iPhone storage, the iCloud size is 153GB. Why apple? Why I don’t have access to unload the files inside the files app? Why I can’t clear everything with one button? Why I can’t use multi selection to unload the files and you only give me the option to do it one by one? And why when I unload a file by typing remove download on the file, the iPhone storage dosnt be updated with the new size on my device?

Now, about the photos app and the optimization, no I don’t want to have this option. Because this option keep on the iCloud the real size and on the device give you a mini version of the file, and this is to bad for editing video and photos, because you end up editing photos and videos with compression and not the full resolution. So I want to have all my files to files (iCloud) but to have the option to remove it from my phone (not the cloud). Until then I will go back to google drive, better choice and dosnt make mess on my device. Too disappointed.

I love Apple devices and software because they really are great almost all the time. The Files app on iPad OS and iOS, however, is a glaring exception. I’ve been using my 2022 iPad Pro 12.9 happily, leaning into it and using it almost entirely as my work device at home and the office. I really love using it and am one of the end users that patiently takes time to learn new apps and how they work in the OS environment. The Files app is a big disappointment because it is curiously and fatally limiting when working with iCloud and Google Drive—both necessities for my work. As others have noted often, Files seems to get amnesia regularly, losing setup and favorites information. At other times, is shows only 100 Drive files with zero function for searching Drive. Lately, it also becomes unresponsive at seemingly random and inopportune moments when browsing cloud files. It renders my lovely iPad Pro useless for work when I can’t access Drive files on it. I remained in denial for a long time because I’ve never experienced such utter inadequacy with an Apple software product.

Fortunately, I found a third-party app that does everything needed to manage files on device, in iCloud, in Drive, and more—just like anyone would want. Why doesn’t Apple put the resources it has to making a decent file management app for iPad OS and iOS?