Apple never lets you access the file system on iOS, at least not of its own accord any way. But, the company is finally planning to do just that with iOS 11. We don’t know just how useful or powerful this new file explorer will be, but it’s going to be there. And if you have doubts still, an app called “Files” was spotted on the App Store by developer Steve Troughton-Smith. It was a placeholder listing, but clearly shows that there will be an app called Files, which will work on iOS 11 only.
The company has never been a big fan of file systems. In fact, the closest you get to a file system on iPhones or iPads is the iCloud Drive folder. However, this also shows files stored in iCloud Drive only. It’ll be interesting to see what access Apple allows on the Files app and how powerful it’ll be. The File System is usually a feature for pro/power users, so it’ll not make a big difference to regular consumers. Still, it’s always better to know exactly where your files are stored, right?
Ahead of iOS 11, a 'Files' app placeholder entry from Apple appears on the App Store. Requires iOS 11.0 or later