Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets have been updated, adding support for the iPhone X and providing new features for the iPad.
Apple's latest version of its mobile operating system, the iOS 11, has been nowhere near perfect. However, for heavy users of the three Google apps who own the iPhone X or an iPad, the updates will make working with them much easier.
Google Docs, Slides, Sheets On iPhone X
Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets have been updated for iPhone X compatibility. The apps now stretch over the full display of the device, with the toolbars adjusted to appear properly and taking account the dreaded iPhone X notch.
The update that brought iPhone X support for the three Google apps, however, only tweaked the user interface. There are no other significant changes, though it is great to have that much real estate on a smartphone when accessing documents.
Google Docs, Slides, Sheets On iPad
The Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets updates for the iPad, on the other hand, are far more useful.
iPad owners are now able to use the multi-app feature that splits the screen of the tablet to enable the drag-and-drop feature for the three Google apps. For example, users can drag a link from Safari, a picture from Photos, or text from Notes and drop them directly into Google Docs.
It appears that Google Docs does not allow rich text format for the drag-and-drop feature, as text with special formatting are converted to plain text when inserted in the app.
Nevertheless, the drag-and-drop feature will certainly be a helpful one for heavy users of Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets on the iPad.
iOS 11 Issues
The drag-and-drop feature was introduced by Apple in iOS 11, but for many users, the operating system has given more headaches than conveniences.
One of the more frustrating problems is the iOS 11 battery drain issue, which has affected iPhone and iPad owners since the operating system was first launched. The most recent update, iOS 11.1.2, only addressed the response problems of the iPhone X display in cold weather, while the update before it, iOS 11.1.1, only fixed the autocorrect problem. Updating fixed the battery life issue for some users, but there have also been reports that the upgrade actually made things worse.
The Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets updates to make the apps better for iOS 11 on the iPhone X and iPad are indeed useful but nowhere near enough to make up for the troubles that the operating system has caused.
