Apple 'Files' app has been released (and removed) from the App Store

Apple has released (and quickly hidden again) an app on the App Store that may mean you finally have some control over the files on your iOS devices. The app is called Files, and is currently a placeholder so we don’t know what the function of the app will actually be until it launches.

As it’s called Files, it is fairly safe to assume that it will be a way to manage files on your iOS devices, which would certainly be a welcome addition, as under the current system, finding and managing files on iOS devices can feel a little like navigating a labyrinth.

The app was first noticed by developerSteve Troughton-Smith, and has since been taken down from the App Store. See Troughton-Smith’s original tweet below:

Apple products have always been designed so that they are slick and easy to use; they seem simple, even when the computation behind the scenes is incredibly complicated. This was an intentional move by Steve Jobs in as effort to make computers more user friendly. 

Jobs told Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher in 2005: “it’s pretty easy to learn how to use these things ‘til you hit the file system and then the learning curve goes vertical. So you ask yourself, why is the file system the face of the OS? Wouldn’t it be better if there was a better way to find stuff?”

This simplicity has come at the expense of customisability, and for some users, the lack of control over how their devices work has been a point of frustration.

With the launch of iCloud, there was some modicum of control over the filing system Apple users could use, and there is the possibility that the Files app could just be a way of managing files in iCloud, although we hope not. 

We are expecting the app and its functions to be announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference which kicks off in just a few hours time. You can learn how to watch the event live using our How to watch WWDC guide.