iOS 7 comes with over 200 new features and improvements including the all-new Control Center, improved Notification Center, smarter multitasking, all-new camera app with real-time filters, new Photos app, AirDrop for iOS, iTunes Radio and lots more.

But you probably didn’t know that it also allows you to open zip files.

reddit user evmax318 first spotted it. He reported:

In iMessage, I was sent a .zip file, and iOS let me open it and view its file structure and open files. Did anyone else know this?

It works in iMessage, and also in the Mail app. The feature has been available apparently since iOS 7 beta, but seems to have slipped everybody’s radar.

In iOS 6, you had to open the zip file using the “Open in” functionality, and using apps such as Winzip etc, which allow you to open zip files.

Here’s how it works in iOS 7:

When you tap on the attached zip file, it downloads the file, and automatically opens the first file in the archive (assuming it is supported by iOS). You can swipe from right to left to open the next file or tap on the folder icon at the bottom right corner to see the list of files in the archive.

You also get an option to share the file via AirDrop, iMessage, Mail or using the Open In feature, and also to print the file or document.

The good news is that thanks to the built-in support for zip files in iOS 7, you won’t need to buy third-party app to open them anymore, and more importantly it offers a more seamless experience.

Update:

It looks like it works if the files in the zip file are supported. If there are unsupported files in the zip file, it gets stuck at “loading..”. I have tested it on iPhone 5s and iPad 4.

Did you know about this feature? Let me know in the comments.