Apple launches free new brainstorming and collaboration app called Freeform

Apple today launched Freeform – a new free brainstorming app which provides visual collaboration tools to flesh out your plans and ideas on the iPhone, iPad and Mac.

This digital and interactive whiteboard offers a flexible canvas where users can sketch ideas and comments on a board that’s not limited within borders or inside a page.

It’s also possible to add files and preview them while remaining inside the board.

“Freeform opens up endless possibilities for iPhone, iPad and Mac users to visually collaborate,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

“With an infinite canvas, support for uploading a wide range of files, iCloud integration, and collaboration capabilities, Freeform creates a shared space for brainstorming that users can take anywhere.”

Freeform provides an infinite canvas that can expand as your content is added for complete flexibility.

It’s also easy to collaborate with others with users able to connect to the board together while on a FaceTime call and seamlessly move around and contribute their content.

Freeform boards are stored in iCloud so users have access to their content which is synced across all their devices.

The canvas within Freeform has a variety of writing and painting styles and many colours to choose from when sketching ideas, adding comments and drawing diagrams.

iPhone and iPad users can draw anywhere on the canvas using either their finger or with Apple pencil on iPad so sketching out your ideas is free and easy.

There is wide support within free form for a range of files including photos, video, audio, documents, PDFs, links to websites, map locations, sticky notes, shapes and diagrams and more.

iPhone and iPad cameras can even be used to add an image or scan document directly into the board.

There is also a full shapes library with more than 700 options to choose from so you can change the colour and size and then add text.

Users can add other content onto the board from other apps and there is also a built-in alignment guide so it’s easy to keep the board organised.

Quicklook is also used with Freeform so users can preview content with a double tap without ever leaving the board.

Images and PDFs can also be locked into place on a board so others can then annotate on top or around that object which makes Freeform ideal for sketching ideas on things like floor plans, a home renovation project or a map.

Up to 100 people can collaborate on the same board within Freeform which is a massive shared space for creativity for everything from working on a group project or planning a holiday with friends.

Freeform makes use of a new collaboration feature in Messages which lets you invite others to a Freeform board simply by adding it into a Messages thread.

Recipients of that message will have an automatic invitation to the board and can begin collaborating right away.

FaceTime is built in so users can start a FaceTime call within the Freeform app by tapping the collaboration button at the top right of the screen.

Everyone else on the call can view everyone’s contributions as they add content or make edits thanks to the fast-sync capabilities and iCloud integration.

Freeform is free on every iPhone, iPad and Mac running iOS 16.2, iPad OS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1.