February 9th, 8:03 AM.
After downloading iPadOS 16.2, my iPad goes dark. Nothing can be seen on the empty black screen.
February 9th, 8:31 AM.
The first signs of life have returned. The iPad feels familiar, though something feels different.
February 9th, 10:53 AM.
A hidden figure emerges out of the depths of my iPad. It claims to go by the name "Freeform."
February 9th, 11:32 AM.
For a second, Freeform almost tricked me into thinking it could be the next GoodNotes. Unfortunately, however, it has one fatal flaw.
About The App
Freeform was officially born on December 13, 2022.
If you downloaded iPadOS 16.2, you already have it installed. Look for this icon:
And honestly, Freeform's a pretty decent app (except for one thing). Here's why:
The Good Stuff
Apple bragged about Freeform's collaboration, infinite canvas, and media support in their press release.
And unlike Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, they weren't lying.
Unlimited Power
I love the unlimited canvas in Freeform.
I've used a few "unlimited canvas" apps out there (think OneNote, Concepts, Nebo, etc.), and Freeform has been pretty smooth compared to the competition. And while I don't use trillions of images when I'm taking notes in my government class, I'm sure a Freeform board could handle a reasonable amount of media.
In terms of performance, I would put Freeform ahead of OneNote and around the same level as Concepts.
Sticky Notes et al.
One of the things I hate about Apple Notes is that everything feels restrictive. Freeform basically takes this and throws it out the window.
It can pretty much handle any media you throw at it. According to Apple, Freeform supports "a wide range of files, including photos, video, audio, documents, PDFs, links to websites and map location links, sticky notes, shapes, diagrams, and more."
In particular, the sticky note feature looks cool: it makes a Freeform board feel like an actual inspiration sketch thingy. For companies (and individuals) who want to emphasize creativity, Freeform looks like it could be pretty useful.
Yo What's Up
This is where Freeform steps apart from OneNote, Concepts, and even GoodNotes/Notability.
Freeform is an Apple-developed app. While that means it can be a little annoying (as you'll see later in this post), it also means we get some pretty neat integrations.
Up to 100 (yes, one hundred) people can work on the same board (though I don't even know who would use that).
Freeform also integrates with Messages and FaceTime. You can invite people to a Freeform board by dragging it into Messages. Anyone you invite can start collaborating immediately.
You can also start a FaceTime call from inside the app.
Not-Boring Stuff
There's a ton of other not-boring stuff.
For instance, Freeform boards quickly sync across different platforms. You can invite people with links, and you can export a Freeform board as a pdf or take a mega screenshot.
While there aren't a ton of brush options, Freeform has the main ones that you really need.
But...
There's one big issue.
Unless you use Freeform for a super-specialized need or you plan on barely using the app, pay attention.
Freeform has no organization system.
Actually I'm wrong. You can sort by name and by date. But who wants that?
Freeform has the potential to be a fantastic app, especially for businesses and team projects. But for now, without folders, tags, or anything similar, I just can't use Freeform (at least as a student).
Final Thoughts
"With organization comes empowerment"—Lynda Peterson
Thanks for reading!
Adi
One thing I like about Freeform on my phone is that it’s the easiest place I’ve found to paste stuff from the newish photo cutout feature and make a collage or drop people/objects from one photo into another. Maybe there are other apps for that, but this is quick and easy.