Files Ratings and Reviews

I mostly use Files for reviewing audio files and I frequently need to take notes about the content that specifies the time. I hate how the audio player only shows you the amount of time the song has played and how much time is remaining when you touch or scroll the waveform. It is hard to touch without accidentally moving the time, so it can be painful to use. Time information should always be shown or there should be a configuration option to allow showing it always. I wish you could filter a directory so it showed just files with specific tags. I also wish you could configure it to automatically play the next song in the directory when it finishes playing a song. I previously complained that moving multiple files at once was not possible, and am glad to see that you can easily select and move multiple files now so my 2 star review has been upgraded to a 3 star.

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?

FULL DISCLOSURE: This is the first time I’ve used File Management software in over 20+ years (and my iPhone is running ios 15). I must say it’s satisfying to see a lot of features I wanted back then are finally incorporated into the software of today. But that’s were the positive story ends. Like other reviews I had problems with tagging and some issues I chalked up to possible slow speeds with saving to iCloud bc I don’t having WiFi. However, after 3-4 days, I couldn’t imagine what the deal was with missing tags and sometimes even files.

Then I finally came here and discovered the reviews for this app are subpar. APPLE 🍏 frankly I was shocked that your app is so bad. And I didn’t even want it to enter my mind that maybe I shouldn’t be buying an iPhone 15 next month! I’m over 60 years old and from the generation where we’ve kept track of important documents. Given my initial experience with this app, I can’t trust it to properly access my personal documentation on my iPhone. This seems like such a basic thing to use my phone for. I’m keeping my fingers 🤞crossed these issues will be corrected in iOS 17!

Was this app antagonistically tested with external storage devices containing or servers with more than 100 files and sub folders? Experience suggests not! And if external storage devices presented a challenge to the Files app, SMB support seems is just jello thrown against the wall with hopes to stick. It gets worse, network, server or SMB failures aren't confined to the Files app. Once Files stumbles (don't expect an error message), any app, an app doesn't even have to be using external storage, can succumb to freezes. And you can't graciously back your way out, restarting the victimized app(s) does help; I dismounting the server does not resolve (the Files app is usually frozen itself); restarting the server does not resolve; restarting the Files app does not resolve. Restarting the iPad seems the only "dependable" resolution. I doubt one could implement a meaningful real world production implantation dependent upon Files.

And before I forget, how did anyone with meaningful computing experience overlook support for aliases on external storage? This wasn't on a check list of file operations to check? The alias is there, but on the iOS device it is useless.

Complete waste of space piece of garbage app that should be an embarrassment to whichever “genius” designed it. Why are none of the copious amounts of files I have download available even though I literally clicked “on this iPhone” why are the only two files available on that option two of the internet browsers I have downloaded? What good is this useless app if I can’t access literally EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY file on my phone? It’s garbage. Whoever created this app, all the designers should feel ashamed and a complete failure for their poor inability to provide a service that the app was seeming to promise. Terrible. Completely terrible. I hope everyone who worked on this app is from this point on blackballed from ever entering app design and UI, because you are completely incompetent and incapable of doing the basic thing people would want to use your app for. Please just work a remedial job and stop wasting people’s time trying to figure out your poorly designed apps. You wouldn’t know UI if it hit you in the face. Completely embarrassing. This app is an embarrassment. Doesn’t even deserve the one star bare minimum I was required to give you to rate it.

Soooooo I have literally NO IDEA now to put anything on this app. None! And it could be so useful to!😃well, that is IF I KNEW HOW TO USE IT 😠!!! Soooo I’m giving this app 3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ and I will change it once I know how to use it. Sooo developer(s), how do u use this/put things in it? I’m downloading it back for when I know how to use it. Well, IF U RESPONSE. So plssssssss tell me how to add things. PRETTY PLEASE 🥺? Thx 😊!byeeeeeeeee! 😘 Edit:ya’ll I’m back YEP 😈 hah Jk I’m not doing anything evil I’m just a child A 10 YEAR OLD CHILD DO U EXPECT A GIRL THIS OLD TO HURT U?! Anyway…….. I tried connecting to Kahoot (cuz why not I was bored) and I waited….and waited….and waited…..sooooooo I waited for 10 minutes (no I didn’t I waited for less than 30 seconds lol 😆) and nothing happened so yeahhhh how do ya add stuff I like that there’s no ads tho 🤗 but I STILL don’t know how to add stuff so developer(s), PLEASE IM BEGGING U HELP MEEEEE okay Ty peace ✌🏾 Edit: Heyyy! Good news! I figured out how to add a folder! But idk how to put things in it soooooo…..

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.

I don't know how you can both be the native app and struggle to function. I use files to connect to other apple devices so i don't need to plug my phone in to transfer information but it's constantly freezes without indicating the problem. There's no way to refresh the connection when a file or folder has been updated on the connected server. In short, even though they have the closest connection to the product, their app don't perform like it. I guess Apple doesn't care about it that much. I imagine the engineers who work on it are embarrassed — i have 0 proof. I just know that engineers pride themselves on making quality products, and that is supposed to be even more true of Apple engineers (based on Apple's projection of itself through ads), but this is not a quality product, so i think they're embarrassed. Or they don't take it personally and they're just in agreement that it's a bad product but prioritizing it is above their pay grade.

When I open pdf file and add a textbox, it dosn’t type in any word, and looks like its not even recognizing the keyboard or sth (when connected to bluetooth keyboard.)
I got a new iPad pro 6th gen, so I called the customer center thinking that it was the issue on my device, and the representative couldn’t even figure out what was wrong with it. I did everything she and he asked me to do like restarting the device, reset everything, but a textbox still didn’t work.
The weird thing is that when I disconnect the any bluetooth keyboard (including magic keyboard w/ trackpad) a textbox work like normal.
I don’t think it is the issue on the iPad device because a textbox work like normal without the other keyboard connected.
I think it is the issue on the application itself. Plz fix it I am even writing here because nobody at Apple couldn’t fix this out for me.
And I am sure that there would be other people too having this issue.

Plus (with the other keyboard connected) I also tried a textbox on pdf file on Apple’s Note app, and didn’t also work…. I think there is an issue in Apple’s app, i don’t know why it’s not working. It works fine on the other app. But I wanna use Apple’s apps because it is compatible the most with my Apple pencil and I like how it works well with Apple’s device except it has this minor bug or sth.