Workflow for iOS has become the go-to automation tool for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users wanting to streamline actions on mobile devices, and now the latest version is ready to put its useful Today widget in Notification Center to work. Workflow originally launched last December after a number of high profile iOS 8 apps were being pulled from the App Store for doing too much with widgets newly made available in Notification Center, but Apple has clearly cooled off and decided that widgets that do more than present information are fine. Workflow’s new version highlights this as the updated widget can now run many tasks right from the swipe down Today view without launching the full app. The latest update also adds a few new actions as well as a new sync and backup service for workflows.
If you’re unfamiliar with Workflow, it’s basically a user friendly and highly capable version of Apple’s Automator app on the Mac. Workflow ties in a massive variety of services and iOS apps and makes actions that you can drag and drop to save as workflows that you run just by tapping a button. These workflows can even be saved as app icons on the homescreen or action extensions in the share sheet.
Workflow also features a Today widget in Notification Center which lets you place your favorite actions in the swipe down panel that you can access from anywhere in iOS. Widgets previously required launching full apps to do much aside from listing information due to limitations put on developers by App Store reviewers that approve apps. Workflow 1.3’s widget has evolved now that widgets are allowed to do more so users can do things like save the last photo taken to Dropbox and copy a share link to the clipboard for pasting in an app without ever leaving it.
The new version adds a new set of actions to the massive library including actions to grab your IP address or network details and even some Health and workout actions. Existing actions have been updated, including editing images, which now supports hi-res photos, and tweet actions, which now support sending videos.
Lastly, Workflow 1.3 introduces a new feature called Workflow Sync, which will be huge for anyone using the app on multiple devices. Using the Workflow Sync service, saved workflows you create are now automatically backed up and synced to other devices. The update also includes a whole list of bug fixes and improvements to issues including Apple Watch crashes.
Workflow for iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad is available for a single $4.99 purchase from the App Store.
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