Freeform App: How to Use Apple’s Collaboration and Creativity board

Apple devices to iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1, you probably noticed a new icon in the application library. This is a new Freeform service where you can create amazing projects using text and visual content. And even more: the description claims tight integration with Facetime and real-time collaboration. Let’s see how it all works.

What is freeform?

Freeform is a virtual board with flexible functionality. With its help, the user can structure their ideas and give the project a presentable appearance. It can be a mood board for preparing for a photo shoot, a school study, a bulletin board, a creative or business project plan – in general, anything.

Freeform supports almost all types of documents: text, audio, photo, video, drawing, charts, tables, stickers, PDFs, and even web links.

At first glance, it may seem that the new application is not so new. Indeed, in the good old Notes, you can also make text entries, supplement them with pictures, and then share them with others. Yes, and the side menu is similar to most regular iPadOS and iOS programs. But if you get to know Freeform better, you can see that its capabilities are much wider.

How to work in the Freeform application?

First, make sure you already have Freeform on your device. If you don’t see the icon you want in the App Library or desktop, update to iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1.

Next, you need to check your iCloud settings. The slider next to Freeform must be activated. Then you can share the shared space with other users.

1. Open the “Settings” of the device.
2. Apple account ID.
3. Go to the iCloud section.
4. Expand the entire list of apps using iCloud.
5. Activate the toggle switch.

Activating this slider will make all data in the Freeform app available on all your devices. You can work on a project on a Mac and edit on an iPad or iPhone.

The algorithm of actions on all Apple devices is the same:

Launch the application. The interface will feel familiar and intuitive on all three devices – Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

Inside Freeform are folders with self-explanatory names: All Boards, Recent, Shared, Favorites, and Recently Deleted. By the way, deleted files can be recovered within 30 days.

The workspace is called the board. Each of them has a built-in file manager. It opens access to management: the board can be renamed, duplicated, added to favorites, deleted, or shared.

Let’s create our project. To do this, click on the icon on the top panel. A whiteboard with a gray speck will appear on the screen, and you cannot change its color. Even if you are using a dark theme.

To place an object on the board, tap one of the icons on the top bar. The user can create a drawing, add sticky notes, shapes and lines, text, media, and other files – even links.

All objects easily change shape and color, and also move around the board if you swipe your finger across the screen. To estimate the size of the working field, insert text or a photo, and then adjust the scale in the lower left corner. There is enough space for everything, but the space is still not infinite: the maximum canvas size reaches 400%. By the way, the image quality does not deteriorate.

How do I set up collaboration in a Freeform application?

The most useful feature of the new app is the ability to share the board with other users. You can brainstorm with up to 100 collaborators.

Apple account. ID. All changes you make are stored in iCloud, and anyone with access to the board will see the latest version when they open it. This means that everything on the board, like the board itself, does not affect collaborators’ iCloud storage.

First step: unite all your devices with one account. If you haven’t already, go to Settings – Apple ID Account – iCloud – Everyone and turn on the Freeform toggle. At the beginning of the guide, we shared a photo tutorial.

Second step: In the open board in the upper right corner, click the “Share” button and choose how to send the invitation.

Third step: after the user accepts the invitation, a new “Share” button will appear on the toolbar. The board owner will also be able to set permissions for other users, such as editing or viewing only. And track edits: an object that is modified by another user is highlighted and highlighted in the user’s color. You can also start a call or FaceTime call.

If you decide to stop sharing your project or stop sharing work on someone else’s, it’s also easy to do. To do this, tap the button nd click Manage Shared Board. Next, you need to choose one of the proposed actions:

• Removing people. Tap the name of the member you want to remove, then tap Remove Access.
• Removing yourself from someone else’s board. Tap your name, then tap Delete Me.
• Closing access for all participants. Tap Remove Access, then tap Remove Access. Selecting this option removes the board from other participants’ devices, but the owner still has access to it.

Features of work on iPhone, MacBook, iPad

The principle of operation on all devices is the same. And yet, to be as effective as possible, you need to take into account a few points.

The Freeform app has been designed and optimized for the iPhone. However, the small display ties the hands. Of course, you can always zoom in, but the process becomes more complicated if many elements on the board must be constantly in front of your eyes. You can draw on the screen, but doing it with your fingers is not very convenient.

Therefore, using the application on the iPhone is limited to creating boards with a small number of text notes, photos, links, and stickers. But thanks to synchronization with other Apple devices, you can work on a project from an iPad or Mac, and make minor edits on an iPhone.

The Mac offers the largest workspace, especially the iMac. You can also use a trackpad and mouse, and a keyboard is useful for typing large texts. You can conveniently organize your space, and structure all ideas, files, and documents.

For clarity, we created on Mac presentation. Based on a course of lectures by Hollywood screenwriter and director David Mamet. On the board, you see the cover of the book, a link to it, screenshots with notes, and questions for discussion. We also connected the user using FaceTime.

But the greatest scope for creativity opens up on the iPad. It is compact so you can take it with you anywhere. At the same time, the screen diagonal is large enough to move different objects around the board. You can use the Split View mode, when the screen is split and two applications are side by side, to drag a photo or selected text onto the field. And thanks to the support of Apple Pencil with a tablet can also be used as a real notepad for notes and sketches.

The Freeform app on the iPad also supports the cool Scribble feature. It allows you to write text with a stylus anywhere in the workspace, after which the handwritten phrase is transformed into printed characters. The great thing is that you don’t have to switch layouts or over-zealously output each letter: the system will determine what language you are writing in, even if it’s some kind of incomprehensible squiggles.

If, in addition to everything, you also connect the “magic” keyboard Magic Keyboard with the trackpad, you can get the most out of the app and iPad in general.

Impression

The Freeform application turned out to be simple and functional. Most of the functions are familiar to us from other Apple applications, but here the Cupertinos seemed to streamline and bring them to mind. Particular emphasis is placed on iPad users. It is on the tablet with the application that is most convenient to work. After all, the iPhone screen is quite small, and on the Mac, there is no way to draw or write by hand. Therefore, the full potential of the application is revealed on the iPad, especially if you have an Apple pencil. Freeform will be useful for representatives of any field of activity, but schoolchildren, students, and creative individuals will especially like it.

All current models of the Apple line are available for purchase in iSpace | Apple Premium Partner. Place an order on the iSpace.ge with delivery to any city or come to one of our stores.

And to find out even more interesting features that your devices are capable of, sign up for a video consultation, as well as for individual or group training. Our experts will show you what is behind the phrase “Apple magic “.