Workflow joins Apple family; will it make its way into iOS?

by Abhinav Mohapatra

In a bid to provide continued convenience to its users, Apple has acquired a clever utility tool called Workflow, that allows to combine a bunch of steps across apps into a single tap. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the three-member development team behind Workflow will join the Apple family. Last year, Workflow introduced the IFTTT (If This Then That) integration, which is a free web-based service that is used to create chains of simple conditional statements, called applets. An applet is triggered by changes that occur within other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. In a statement, Workflow developer Ari Weinstein said:
“We are thrilled to be joining Apple. We’ve worked closely with Apple from the very beginning, from kickstarting our company as students attending WWDC to developing and launching Workflow and seeing its amazing success on the App Store. We can’t wait to take our work to the next level at Apple and contribute to products that touch people across the world.”
Interestingly, Apple revealed that Workflow will not only continue to be on the iOS App Store, but will also be made free for download. A similar course of action was followed when the company introduced the world to Siri in 2010. Siri app was made available on the App Store until it officially became a part of iOS in 2011 as part of iOS 5.

Confirming the acquisition, Apple said:

“The Workflow app was selected for an Apple Design Award in 2015 because of its outstanding use of iOS accessibility features, in particular an outstanding implementation for VoiceOver with clearly labeled items, thoughtful hints, and drag/drop announcements, making the app usable and quickly accessible to those who are blind or low-vision.”
There is much haze over the actual purpose behind this acquisition. But given the fact that Workflow has been regularly updated keeping in mind the iOS requirements, it could work its way up to be integrated in iOS itself. At least it is good news for those who find the iOS interface overly complicated!