

In some cases, Workflow is actually able to add functionality that isn’t there.

The app excels at cutting down the number of steps it would normally take to schedule an appointment or delete a handful of screenshots, but its usefulness extends beyond merely limiting your taps and swipes.

A built-in gallery helps get you started, and with an easy sharing mechanism, it won’t be long until websites are dedicated to supplying many, many more. The general concept can be grasped in just a few seconds, and while it’ll take a good deal of trial-and-error experimentation to master it, you don’t have to be an expert to find a way to fit it into your routine. There’s no limit to how much a workflow can do, and you can rearrange and combine actions to accomplish a whole string of tasks for example, you can effortlessly make a workflow that collects your last five photos, zips them, uploads them to Dropbox, and emails you a link.īut Workflow’s true beauty lies in its tremendous versatility. Each action contains a plain explanation of what it does, but you’ll learn better by seeing them at work as you mix and match actions, pressing the “run” button will show you how they work together, and the natural quickness and intuition of the interface encourages somewhat obsessive testing. Things like Quick Look, Add New Event, and Send Email work together to create step-by-step processes designed to simplify and streamline the things we would otherwise turn to the multitasking carousel to accomplish. You’re not seeing things-Workflow lets you drag and drop on your iPhone.ĭeveloper DeskConnect has loaded the app with more than 100 common actions that can be stacked and sorted in any number of ways. It’s all a bit like an iOS version of Automator, and the finished products are not unlike OS X’s “automation recipes.” Where other automating apps rely on the user’s know-how of Python scripting or URL schemes to accomplish anything beyond the most rudimentary of tasks, Workflow has created a custom iOS framework that does most of the heavy lifting behind the scenes. It makes the creation of workflows an absolute pleasure and serves to eliminate much of the requisite knowledge needed to set up proper shortcuts. A quick tutorial walks you through building an automatic GIF maker, and as you set up each step, you’ll notice that the app brings over another element of OS X that is foreign to the iPhone and iPad: drag and drop. There’s a delightful simplicity to Workflow’s interface that belies its abilities. More versatile than the situational IFTTT and more powerful than even Launch Center Pro’s slick system of shortcuts, Workflow’s endlessly customizable actions integrate seamlessly into the apps you already use to help you work smarter, faster, and just plain better.
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The first true automator for iOS, Workflow ($3) takes full advantage of Apple’s looser restrictions on sharing to bring new levels of interactivity and multitasking to our handheld devices. And now we have an app that brings it all together.
