A long-time alternative to Apple's Files app has been Documents, developed by Readdle. Today, the company is launching "Documents X," intending to speed up everyday productivity tasks and offer users a refreshed design.
At the heart of Documents X is a feature Readdle is calling "Smart Actions." Smart Actions are contextual actions that are recommended to users depending on an action they just took. For example, if a user uploads a file to Dropbox or Google Drive, the app may suggest that the user shares the link. If a user downloads a music video, they may get presented with a Smart Action to extract the audio from the video.
The number of Smart Actions is rather extensive and is built directly into the app without launching external apps or services to perform them. Readdle says all the actions are "performed locally, which means that your files and activities don’t leave the device."
Documents X is also built on an updated design philosophy Readdle is calling "FOCUS." FOCUS aims to reduce complexity for the in-app experience while maintaining a high level of attention to detail and simplicity. The new design includes updated colors, icons, menus, controls, and more that have been "thoughtfully designed."
Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing.
Test Settings
I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name.
Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more.
iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
Apple's new iPhone lineup launched in the fall of 2027 will be called the "iPhone 20" models, rather than the "iPhone 19," according to research firm Omdia.
Speaking at a conference in Seoul (via ETNews), Omdia Chief Researcher Heo Moo-yeol corroborated rumors that Apple plans to move the launch of its standard iPhone to the first half of the year and provided some additional clarity about...
Thursday October 23, 2025 3:55 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple is one of several tech companies that will contribute to the construction of U.S. President Donald Trump's 90,000-square-foot ballroom, reports CNN.
Construction began on the ballroom this week, and the White House's east wing was torn down. Trump claims that the ballroom will cost $350 million, and that it will be privately funded through donations. The cost has already increased $150 ...
Thursday October 23, 2025 7:44 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
Starting today, the feature is available to residents of West Virginia. To set it up, open the Wallet app and tap on the plus sign in...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by Juli Clover
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down.
In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports.
The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
Wednesday October 22, 2025 10:48 am PDT by Juli Clover
iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued ...
Since I can't seem to find it on my iPhone app store search right now - is it really free, or free with in-app purchases?
Hi there! Glad to inform you that our Documents app is free. The only paid features are PDF Editor and Unlimited VPN, however, you can browse and annotate PDFs and use 50 Mb in VPN per day without any subscription.
PDF Editor? I’m curious.. since Readdle has another PDF app called PDF Expert, what would be the reason to buy both subscription?
PDF Editor in Documents is basically an integrated PDF Expert. You are absolutely right, there is no need to subscribe to both apps, it is a matter of choice whether you need an app solely for editing/annotating PDF files or a super app for everything :)
My only gripe with this app is the video player doesn’t support H265 hardware decoding (everything else works great). No improvements with the new “Documents X” either. 4K movies stutter and the colors are all off. FE File Explorer ('https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fe-file-explorer-pro/id499470113') still holds the crown in this regard.
Thanks for the insights! I've created a request in our app wishlist so we can improve hardware coding in the future and also shared your feedback with our dev team.
Hi there! Glad to inform you that our Documents app is free. The only paid features are PDF Editor and Unlimited VPN, however, you can browse and annotate PDFs and use 50 Mb in VPN per day without any subscription.
Just downloaded it. It already performs better on reaching deep down in a many layer deep folder tree than Files does. Will make this part of my workflow.
