I love tech updates. Whether it's a new operating software update or an app update, normally I love them. Especially when a company totally revamps an app and changes the UI and overall design.
One of my favorite and most-used apps is Google Drive. I use Google Drive pretty much on a daily basis. I keep up with mileage for my taxes, money reports and budget stuff for our youth ministry, and I collaborate with a couple different people using their ability to share files and folders. Andrew Jenkins and I develop show notes through Google Drive for the I'm A YM Podcast. I also plan, organize, and execute an entire week of camp pretty much through Google Drive.
What I love about Google Drive, and the reason I use it every day, is because you can create and edit documents and spreadsheets within the app. Everything syncs together. Not only do I store documents and spreadsheets within the app, but I can create and edit in realtime, all within the app. It consolidates a lot of things into one app...which I love. Google Drive simplifies my life and ministry.
Last week Google Drive updated their iOS app. I was pretty excited to see an app update because it's like opening a present to me. However, when I opened the app after installing the update on my iPad, I noticed that it encouraged me to download two new apps: Google Docs and Google Sheets. Immediately I dismissed it because why would I want two more apps when I can do it all in Google Drive?! Or so I thought...
The latest update requires you to download Google Docs and Google Sheets if you want to create and/or edit documents saved to Google Drive. The reason they did this was to allow users to access documents offline. I can see some merit in that. But the downside (in my opinion), is having to download and use two other apps just so Google Drive is functional.
Before, what set Google Drive apart from Dropbox, was the ability to create and edit files within the app without having to use third-party apps. Now Google Drive's iOS app has become just like Dropbox, requiring you to use additional apps to create and edit files, and turning Google Drive's iOS app into another form of Dropbox.
Pros to the update: You can access files offline from my Google Drive.
Cons to the update: You must download Google Docs and Google Sheets to create and edit files in your Google Drive.
At the end of the day, I will still use Google Drive just as much as I did before because I love this app. But Google Drive lost some of the distinguishing factors that set it apart from other cloud-based storage apps.