Google is on a roll this week with updating its iOS apps. Yesterday we saw Chrome for iPhone and iPad pick up a big update bringing Material Design to the browser and adopting Handoff support with OS X Yosemite. Following Chrome’s release, Google today shared new versions of its Docs, Slides, and Sheets apps for iPhone and iPad taking advantage of another Apple technology: Touch ID.
Beginning with Docs version 1.2.6448, Slides version 1.0.5754, and Sheets version 1.1.7297, iPhone and iPad users can now lock and unlock each app using the Touch ID fingerprint scanner as an alternative to the passcode lock screen.
Google has previously integrated Touch ID support with its Drive and Wallet apps. Touch ID is supported on the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad mini 3, and iPad Air 2.
In addition to the usual big fixes and improvements, the updates also add other features including VoiceOver enhancements.
Specifically, the new version of Google Docs adds spellcheck support, Google says, while the Sheets spreadsheet app adds support for hiding rows and columns from the iPhone and iPad. Google Slides also adds the ability to group objects for a presentation together.
Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets is available for free on the App Store.
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Nice updates.
This will be very useful…
Gmail with Touch ID, please ; )
Google is late to the party. This capability was available with the very first iOS8 beta. iOS 8 has been production for 4 months. Hundreds of developers already use these APIs. Google is just getting to it now.
Google is a company that prides itself in fast development and fast bug response (Chrome is at v40). But Google really manages to drag their feet when it comes to delivering functionality that people want.
It isn’t that hard – in fact, implementation of Touch ID with Apple’s APIs is nothing short of simple for an app developer.
What else are they behind on that you would like them to catch up on?
Privacy controls in all their apps. They are years behind. Again, they drag their feet because trafficking in your personal data is how they make big money, despite the trampling of your rights and the huge dossier they build on you, ripe for misuse. And doesn’t the government and their corporate overseers love that.