iOS 11’s new Dock and multitasking features are huge updates to the OS. But system wide drag and drop support is the real hidden gem of this update. And this is the feature that will make users a lot more productive on the iPad. For some, it might just be enough to leave behind the Mac and finally embrace the iPad Pro.
Drag and drop support on the iPad is a true game changer. Simple things like composing an email with attachments, researching a topic and taking notes are going to be much better now.
Instead of jumping through three menus, you just tap, hold, drag and drop to move content between apps. And this even works on the iPhone (albeit, only inside an app). Things like reordering a list, moving a task or a file, is so much faster and more intuitive.
The feature already works great inside stock apps like Files and Notes. But the success of drag and drop feature truly depends on the app developers. And we’re already seeing some amazing updates to our favorite apps. If you use the iPhone or iPad to get work done, you should update these apps and see for yourself how they can help your workflow. We’re already huge fans of updates from 1Password, Todoist, GoodNotes and more.
If you want to know how drag and drop feature works, check out our in-depth guide.
1. The iWork Suite
As expected, Apple’s suite of apps – Keynote, Numbers and Pages are the first apps to be updated with drag and drop support. You can now easily drag in elements like text, images, videos and more into these apps.
Download: Keynote, Numbers, Pages
2. 1Password
Happy iOS 11 Day, everyone! With 1Password for iPad, moving across your secure data has never been so seamless, simply drag and drop! 📱 pic.twitter.com/mkuLN4bpRN
— 1Password (@1Password) September 19, 2017
If you use 1Password to save and manage all passwords, the process of logging into new apps and websites just got a whole lot easier (especially on the iPad). Instead of searching for logins, then copy and pasting them, you can just open 1Password in Split View, and drag details to the app.
Download: 1Password
3. GIFWrapped
GIFWrapped is the best way to manage your own personal GIF library that syncs via Dropbox. In the new iOS 11 update, you can use drag and drop inside the app to move GIFs around. And on the iPad, you can drag a GIF out of the GIFWrapped app and onto another app like Twitter.
Download: GIFWrapped
4. Twitter
Drag-n-Drop on Twitter for iPad on iOS 11 has arrived. pic.twitter.com/7NVxgoWIwm
— Bryan Haggerty (@bhaggs) September 20, 2017
Surprisingly, Twitter has day one support for iOS 11’s drag and drop feature. You can drag in images and GIF directly into Twitter’s compose window.
Download: Twitter
5. Annotable
Annotable 2.2 is here: Drag & Drop on iPad running iOS 11 is really handy. pic.twitter.com/nMUww6ZsDo
— Annotable (@AnnotableApp) September 16, 2017
Annotable is our favorite image annotation app for iPhone and iPad. You can use drag and drop in multiple ways. Drag in an image to Annotate to start editing it. You can drag and drop text from other apps. You can even drag the annotated image from Annotable to another app.
All in all, the new Annotable app is going to save all of us quite a few taps on the iPad.
Download: Annotable
6. OmniFocus 2
Omni’s suite of apps – OmniFocus, OmniPlan and OmniGraffle are all updated to support drag and drop inside and between apps.
The most stark update is for OmniFocus. You can tap and hold on a task, then use your other hand to navigate to another list and drop it there. You can drag in any text from another app and turn it into a task.
Download: OmniFocus 2
7. Spark
Spark is my favorite email app for iPhone, iPad and the Mac. You can drag attachments to and from Spark. When you’re multitasking, this lets you do real quick purview and editing. You can also drag in any sort of text, links or images.
Download: Spark
Similar updates to other email apps: AirMail, Astro.
8. Canva
Canva is an awesome photo editor and design app for the iPad. Using the drag and drop feature, you can now easily add images and other media to your project.
Download: Canva
9. Documents 6
Documents is a great way to manage files on your iOS device. In iOS 11, you can use drag and drop to reorganize files inside the app or to share files to and from other apps.
Download: Documents 6
10. Notability
Notability is a versatile note taking app. It lets you seamlessly integrate text, audio and handwritten notes into a single note. In iOS 11, you can use drag and drop to import and export images, text and links to and from the app.
Download: Notability ($9.99)
11. GoodNotes 4
GoodNotes is hands down, one of the best note taking apps, especially if you use the Apple Pencil. Not you can drag and drop content in and out of your notes quite easily.
Download: GoodNotes 4 ($7.99)
12. Todoist
Similar to OmniFocus, Todoist also lets you import tasks using drag and drop. You can also move tasks around inside the iPhone app using drag and drop.
Download: Todoist
13. Castro 2
Castro has always been a podcasting client that’s more about organising and managing your queue. You can now use drag and drop inside the app on the iPhone to rearrange episode queue.
Download: Castro 2 ($3.99)
14. Pinterest
You can now make pins by dropping links or images into @Pinterest on iPad in iOS 11 😄 https://t.co/KCWbvnVBLQ pic.twitter.com/qtBQmoCnt7
— Tim Johnsen (@timonus) September 20, 2017
If you’re a serial pinner, you can now use drag and drop to easily add stuff to your board. Just keep Pinterest open in Split View and simply drag links or images to your board of choice.
Download: Pinterest
15. Opener
Opener is a niche utility that helps you open certain link in an specific app. This is a workaround for the fact that iOS doesn’t let you set defaults for opening certain kinds of content or links. You can keep Opener in Split View, drag a link over to the multiple options that are available and it will then open the link in your app of choice.
Download: Opener ($1.99)
16. Buffer
If you manage multiple social media accounts, chances are you use Buffer to manage your post schedule. Now, the Buffer app in iOS 11 supports drag and drop. So its not really easy to drag in content to Buffer’s compose window.
Download: Buffer
17. Zipped
Zipped is an awesome single purpose utility. The app makes it really easy to archive multiple files. When you come across a zip file, just drag it into the Zipped app and it will be unzipped. The app can zip files up for you as well.
Download: Zipped
How Will Drag and Drop Affect Your Workflow?
Thanks to this new feature, you no longer need to create complex automation workflows in Workflow app to do simple things.
Did one of your favorite apps get updated with drag and drop support? How has it changed how you work on the iPhone or iPad? Share with us in the comments below.
