How does Apple’s Freeform app for brainstorming and creative collaboration work? The new Freeform app, offered with the latest iOS, iPadOS and macOS updates, is a useful tool to help people organize and visually arrange content on a flexible workspace by giving them the ability to view, share and collaborate, all in one place and without worrying about layout or page size.
First beta of macOS Ventura 13.2 to developers
You can add a variety of files and preview them online without having to leave the whiteboard. Designed for collaboration, Freeform makes it even easier to invite other people to work together on a whiteboard. You can even collaborate during a FaceTime call. Freeform whiteboards are stored in iCloud, so the user can sync them across devices.
“Freeform opens up endless visual collaboration possibilities for iPhone, iPad and Mac users,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With an unlimited workspace, support for uploading a wide variety of files, iCloud integration, and collaboration capabilities, Freeform creates a shared brainstorming space that users can take anywhere.”
What is Freeform?
Freeform is a virtual whiteboard that allows you to collect “inspirations and ideas” in one place. The virtual space expands as content is added to the whiteboard, providing unlimited flexibility when working with many files or collaborating with other people. Navigate the whiteboard easily with support for built-in gestures.
The app offers different brush types and color options for sketching ideas, adding comments, and drawing diagrams. iPhone and iPad users can draw with their finger anywhere in the work area; obviously there is no lack of support for Apple Pencil, an accessory that makes it even easier to draw ideas on the fly on the iPad wherever you are.
Freeform supports various file types, including photos, videos, audio, documents, PDFs, website links and locations on a map, sticky notes, shapes, diagrams, and more. You can also use the iPhone and iPad cameras to insert an image or scan a document directly into the whiteboard. There is a library of shapes, with over 700 options to choose from and you can change the color and size, add text, as well as create and save custom shapes.
Apple explains that you can drag and drop content onto the whiteboard from other apps, including Files and Finder, and always keep the whiteboard organized with alignment guides. A double-tap lets you preview content without having to leave the whiteboard, and multiple video files can be played simultaneously to create a dynamic view. Content such as images and PDFs can be pinned in place on the whiteboard, and collaborators can add notes on or around the object, making Freeform the all-in-one tool for sketching ideas directly on top of floor plans for a home renovation project , for example, or to help coaches map the movements of players on a basketball court.
Collaboration tools
Freeform is useful for independent projects as well as for collaborating with other people, whether working at a desk or on the go. You can work with up to 100 collaborators on the same whiteboard; Freeform creates a shared space for creativity when collaborating on group projects or planning a vacation with friends.
The app takes advantage of new collaboration features in Messages, which let you invite other people to a Freeform whiteboard by simply dragging it into a conversation. Those who join the conversation will be automatically invited to the whiteboards and can start collaborating right away. When someone makes a change, updates to the activity will appear at the top of the conversation in Messages.
With FaceTime built right into the app, you can initiate a FaceTime call from within Freeform by tapping the Collaborate button in the top right of the screen. Contributors will be able to see other people’s contributions as they add content or make changes thanks to syncing capabilities and iCloud integration. Freeform whiteboards sync across iPhone, iPad and Mac, and the user can invite other people via a link or email, and also export a whiteboard in PDF format or take a screenshot.