cross application access to files

Question

MJW13 Author

Level 1

0 points

cross application access to files

Hi

Being an Android user am new to iOS. Working on iPad Air 2.

I have number of files and documents on my previous device/laptop for which I need offline access on the iPad.

1) I was unable to find out how to transfer .docx, .xlsx and .pdf files to iPad using iTunes on laptop - can you help?

2) I uploaded them on iCloud and downloaded on iPad as an alternate method. However, the file opens within the iCloud app. For a pdf, I moved to iBooks . But when I opened by Adobe PDF app the file wasn't there. So then I went back to iCloud and moved the file to Adobe and then it was visible there. I also found that you can move/copy PDFs from Adobe to iBooks but not vice versa.

3) As an alternate method to (1), I also tried emailing the files to myself. Once downloaded, the files opened within the Mail app only. The PDF file which opened in Mail app was not visible / available in Adobe PDF viewer or Polaris Office etc. You have to open it in Mail and then "copy" it into Adobe or Polaris or whichever app you want to use to view / edit it.

I think (please correct me if I am wrong), iOS is not like Android where all files are visible in all Apps which can open it. For e.g., if I have a PDF file on my Android phone, I can open any app (Adobe PDF, Polaris, Google PDF viewer etc.) and that file can be found in all those apps and can open. But in iOS, each file is linked to a particular app only and can be viewed in that app only. Is this correct? I had similar issue when I viewed an MP4 video on iCloud, I downloaded it was viewable in Photos App but not visible in VLC or other media player apps I have. I also downloaded an FLV file which was not playable within iCloud and I copied it on VLC where it was available but not viewable in MX Player and there was no option in iCLoud to transfer / copy this FLV in MX Player. I find this very restrictive but am not sure if I am actually using iOS right - maybe I haven't understood it right?

Lastly, if I keep making copies, does it eat up memory space, is it like actual copies of the file? So if I have a PDF viewable/copied in iBooks, Adobe, Polaris, Google PDF viewer is it like 4 different files eating up space, or is it one file with links available to it in each of these four apps?

iPad Air, iOS 9.1

Posted on Feb 2, 2016 9:59 AM

Reply

Answer 1

King_Penguin

Level 10

334,330 points

Feb 3, 2016 1:44 AM in response to MJW13

3, correct, an iPad doesn't have a 'file system', iOS is a sandboxed environment, content is stored within apps. That affects the answers to 1 and 2

1, how you transfer documents to/from your iPad depends upon what the app (due to the above) that you want to copy it supports. Some apps use the file sharing section on the iPad's Apps tab when connected to your computer's iTunes : About File Sharing on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support

Or some might transfer via your wifi network

Or via email or Dropbox

2, correct, for some reason iBooks doesn't support the copying of PDFs and/or epubs from it to other apps (though you might be able to open a PDF and use the 'share' icon, the square with the upward pointing arrow, to email it to yourself and then use 'open in' in Mail to copy it to a different app ; not all PDFs will get the email option). I don't think Apple have said why.

Not all third-party apps support the copying of their file to other apps (or will appear as an option to be copied to), it depends upon the developer.

If you have a document in multiple apps then each app will have its own copy and will be taking up space (so a document in 3 apps will mean three copies of the document on your iPad) - it's not the same PDF that each app is seeing/accessing.

Reply

Answer 2

MJW13 Author

Level 1

0 points

Feb 3, 2016 1:45 AM in response to King_Penguin

Excellent, thanks, this helped.

Reply