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Dropbox for iOS updates, adds iMessage app extension and easy PDF signing

Leading cloud storage provider Dropbox has released a major update to its iOS app with some key new features, including an extension for iOS 10’s iMessage App Drawer, allowing users to quickly share documents via the Messages app, a widget, and PDF signing, meaning users can sign documents directly in the app using their finger.

The iMessage extension increases the functionality for both personal and business users that can use the platform to share documents and images far quicker than sharing via the app. It gives the service a leg-up over competing storage solutions that require in-app use only. To enable this extension, ensure you’ve updated Dropbox to version 18.2, open a new message in the Messages app, and tap the App Store icon. Here, tap the icon in the bottom left corner, then tap the + icon, then navigate to the Manage tab, and toggle the Dropbox extension to on.

imessage-integration

Dropbox has also rolled out new widget functionality; widgets being the shortcut extensions accessible via the Today view on iOS. To access this view, swipe right on the Home screen. To add the widget, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap edit. The Dropbox widget enables users to perform quick actions such as document scanning.

lock-screen-widget1

PDF signing will likely be the biggest feature for enterprise, but even individuals will benefit from signing docs – if there’s a form to sign but you’d rather email than post, you can ‘scan’ the document in the Dropbox app using your device’s camera, then open the file and digitally sign it before firing it off via email.

Dropbox has proved popular with users due to its wide range of third-party support, something Apple’s iCloud solution doesn’t quite match, plus its early entrance into the cloud storage market has provided it a large and loyal user base. It’s aim is also to bring together numerous software solutions like Office, or Adobe to ensure seamless experiences for businesses and personal users.

There’s also an iPad only new feature: picture-in-picture support, meaning if you watch a video in Dropbox, you can then do other things on the device and the video reduces to a smaller video box which you can move around the screen. It’s also believed that split-screen support will be enabled on iPad within a few weeks.

For more information on the update, check out this Dropbox blog post titled ‘Five new iOS features to help you work on the go.’ The Dropbox iOS app can be downloaded for free on the App Store. If you’ve never used Dropbox before, users receive a free 2GB of storage, while pro subscriptions will provide 1TB of storage for $99.99 a year, $25.99 per quarter, or $9.99 per month.