Box for iPhone and iPad 3.6.3

Online storage is ubiquitous these days. Even if you don’t opt for a service like Dropbox, CloudDrive, or Box, chances are you still have much of your digital life stored on a server in the desert somewhere.

That’s because most internet services rely on servers to collect and store data that gets processed into services for you. But some services, like cloud products, exclusively rely on these huge data centers and use them like cabinets full of drawers just to keep your files stored neatly and (hopefully) securely.

Consistent, state-of-the-art UI

Box is one such service. Exceeding Dropbox and many other similar services from a design standpoint, Box on iOS is very well designed to be used by anyone. It doesn’t require knowledge of how cloud services work, and just points you in the right direction every step of the way until you get it. Box is easily one of the most attractive cloud apps present in the App Store. It’s not just good looking, but also very easy to pick up and use.

You start off with the log-in screen, something that can’t be avoided when you’re talking cloud services. You can create an account on the spot and it takes roughly half a minute to do so. In less than 30 seconds you have your own account and 10GB of free online storage to use as you please.

Reliable cloud sync, file management

You can upload files from your iPhone or iPad, sync files with the desktop client or the web interface, store these files for offline access with the lightning icon, and manage files by moving them around, copying them, as well as deleting them.

Box is optimized for collaboration, so you can co-edit a file with other people using the “human” button in the tabs below. A very handy feature that most cloud services don’t offer is the ability to instantly create a text file (called a Boxnote) and store it in your Box. Boxnotes even include a few basic formatting options.

Images can be viewed as galleries, songs can be played back right in the Box UI, and the same goes for stored video. The free client allows a maximum of 250MB per upload, and if the 10GB storage limit is not exceeded, you can upload one 250MB file after another without restrictions (in case you want to break a bigger file into multiple archives). Just don’t expect insane upload speeds until you upgrade to a paid account.

The tool allows you to use Box from the Today view of the Notification Center to easily create new notes, or to view recent documents, although this new feature is only available for iOS 8 users. For the same iOS version, the app also enables users to use their fingerprints to unlock the Box app at the touch of the home button with Touch ID.

Furthermore, it’s possible to add files and folders to a Favorites list that you can easily access, even from the Notification Center. Searching through folders’ content is possible, too, making the entire process that much easier.

If you have any password-protected Office and iWork files, Box will now allow you to get a short preview of them.

Collaboration

The collaboration feature also includes the ability to leave comments on files being worked on by multiple people. This comes in particularly handy when you’re working on a project that requires constant feedback and communication between the co-workers.

Kind of steep

The full product costs a great deal ($79.99 / €69.99) annually, and it holds back some features in free mode. But considering that Dropbox still offers just 2GB of free storage on signup, Box seems like a far better choice.

Add to watchlist:

File managerCloud storageBackup

• Dropbox 3.8
• Google Drive 3.4.1
• iFileExplorer 7.1
• OneDrive 5.1

Portable version:

• Box for Windows Phone
• Box for Android