At Readdle, we build essential productivity apps for iOS. We keep adding new technologies to help you do even more with your iPhone and iPad. Our team has received amazing feedback from you when we showed an iOS 14 sneak peek for our apps. Today, we bring you the best things iOS 14 has to offer.
iOS 14 is all about customization and reimagining the Home Screen, new compact UI that lets you stay in the context of what you’re doing, and new unique capabilities like Scribble on iPad. Our team is excited about all these changes, and we’ve made sure our apps feel right at home on the new iOS 14.
Here’s what’s new in each of our apps:
What’s new in Documents
Widgets for files, music, browser, VPN, and more
In iOS 14, you can place widgets anywhere on the Home Screen to have information from different apps at a glance. Right after Apple announced this feature, we started experimenting to make sure you get the most useful widgets for each of our apps.
There are three types of widgets you can use for Documents:
- Widgets for Recent & Favorite files. Jump to your recent or favorites files and folders right from the Home Screen. Choose between small, medium, and large widgets depending on how many files you’d like to keep at hand.
- Widgets for music. See which song is playing, navigate the music queue, and open a music player right from your Home Screen.
- Widgets for file actions. As a super app for file action, Documents has a lot of capabilities. Open a browser, fire up a VPN, scan papers, or transfer files to your computer right from the Home Screen. These widgets work as shortcuts to specific features to help you save time.
All widgets come in three different sizes, and you can combine them the way you wish. For example, you can have a medium widget with music, browser, and Favorites or arrange up to 6 actions on a large one.
Here’s how to add a new widget:
- Long-press on a blank space in your Home Screen.
- Tap the + button at the top left.
- Find Documents on the list of apps with widgets.
- Select a widget and its size and tap Add Widget.
Picture in Picture on iPhones
Watch videos from Documents in a compact window while doing other things like browsing the web or taking notes. Check how it works!
Scribble support on iPads
Scribble is a new Apple technology that magically turns your handwriting into typed text — making actions like filling out PDF forms or notetaking fast and easy. The moment we saw it this summer, we knew this was a perfect fit for Documents and PDF Expert.
Update Documents now and enjoy it on iOS 14!
What’s new in PDF Expert
Turn handwriting into text with Scribble
Many of you use PDF Expert on iPad with the Apple Pencil, and you’re going to love this update! Jot down side notes in a textbook or fill out complicated tax forms, and PDF Expert turns your handwriting into text. This lets you select and copy the text you’ve written as well as search through your notes.
Just take a look at Scribble in action!
Widgets for Recents and Favorite PDFs
With the new PDF Expert widgets, you can access the exact files you need right when you need them. Keep that research paper you’re working with at hand, right on your Home Screen. Open the folder with your favorite books without digging inside the app. You can add up to 8 files or folders to a widget to save time and get one-tap access to your PDFs.
Navigate your folders faster
A complex folder structure is great for keeping things organized. Yet, navigating numerous subfolders can be a pain. Have you ever gotten so deep into your subfolders that you had to tap the Back button dozens of times just to get back home? PDF Expert is here to save you time.
Long-press on the Back button to see all the previous subfolders and jump to the desired one. No more extra taps!
What’s new in Calendars
Widgets for events, tasks, and conference calls
Our goal with Calendars is to build the most beautiful and intuitive calendar experience on iOS. That’s why we’re excited to bring you the new widgets, changing the way you interact with your calendar. Now, you can have your schedule at a glance, without even opening Calendars. See the upcoming events, check your to-do list, or even join a call right from your Home Screen.
Calendar widgets come in many different layouts and sizes, so you can pick the one which works best for your schedule. Whether you want to have a month overview or a detailed list of today’s meetings, Calendars got you covered. Widgets pick your event colors to make your experience even more personal.
Faster search for events
Now, you can use the native Spotlight search to quickly find any event from Calendars. Just swipe down from the middle of the Home Screen and start searching. Calendars will show you the event name and time, so you can quickly see when is your next 1 on 1 meeting or tennis match. If your event contains a location, you can see the directions right from the search results.
Using Spotlight is much faster than launching Calendars and locating the search icon in the app. There’s also a new in-app search shortcut which lets you jump to the Calendars search right from Spotlight.
We’ve also improved the search experience in the Calendars app itself to make it faster, more precise, and intuitive.
Create events with your voice
Calendars saves you time with the new Siri Shortcuts. Just tell Siri to make an event, share the details like, “Meeting next Monday at 8,” and it does the rest for you. The new compact UI for Siri lets you create events while doing other things like emailing or browsing the web. We’re sure you’ll love it!
Download Calendars for free and check these amazing updates!
What’s new in Scanner Pro
Widgets for important documents and fast scanning
Scanner Pro adds widgets to provide you with fast access to specific files and let you scan anything right from your Home Screen. Now, your scanned ID or a folder with recent receipts are always at hand.
Choose between medium and large widgets depending on how many scans you’d like to keep at hand. Widgets display your recent or favorite scans and provide shortcuts to in-app search and scanning.
Search through OCRed text with Spotlight
Scanner Pro has a built-in OCR feature to let you recognize text in your scans, so you can select and copy it to other apps. Many of you asked for an option to search in such scans, and we’re delighted to bring it.
Now, you can search through the OCRed text with Spotlight. Just scroll down from the middle of the Home Screen, type the word or phrase, and Scanner Pro finds it in the content of your scans, not just in their titles.
Please note: Search by text works only in scans with text recognition (OCR) enabled. For this, open a scan, tap … More at the top right and select Recognize Text (OCR).
Annotate your scans
Finally, you can annotate scanned documents right in Scanner Pro, without exporting them to other apps. Write and draw on your scans, highlight important parts, and erase annotations with ease. Just open a scan, tap ... More at the top right and select Annotate.
Get Scanner Pro and explore this update!
What’s new in Spark
Set Spark as your default email app
This day has come! Many of you asked us how to make Spark their default iPhone or iPad email app, but it was impossible on iOS all these years. Finally, iOS 14 allows you to do it.
Here's how to make Spark your default email client:
- Make sure your device runs iOS 14 and update Spark.
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and select Spark.
- Tap Default Mail App.
- Tick Spark.
That’s it! Now, your device will open Spark when you tap an email link or want to email something from other apps.
Widgets for important emails and calendar
Spark updates with beautiful widgets to let you see the most important emails or upcoming events right on your Home Screen. Spark is all about customization, so you can choose between different types of widgets to make the most out of your Home Screen:
- Widgets for emails provide a handy overview of your inbox. There’s a small widget with a number of unread emails in each category (People, News, Notifications). You can also add a medium or large widget with previews of important unread emails and an option to write a new message.
- Calendar widgets show you what’s coming, so you don’t need to open your calendar. The small widget shows you how much time you have until the next event. The medium widget displays two upcoming events and lets you create new ones right from your Home Screen.
- Mixed widgets. Do you want to see both important emails and the next calendar event on the same widget? Spark’s got one for you! You can also add a widget that combines important emails with shortcuts to specific actions like search, email composer, calendar, and attachments.
OAuth support for Office 365 accounts
Our goal with Spark is to provide you with an effortless email experience. As many of you use Spark at work or school, we’re excited to add the OAuth support for Office 365 accounts, so you can securely connect them in the app. We know it’s not an iOS 14 feature, but it’s something many of you were asking for.
Now, if you have 2-step verification enabled, you don’t need to generate an app password for Spark anymore. And if your admin enabled modern authentication for your account, you can keep using Spark. Just log into Spark and start loving your email.
OAuth support now comes to both iOS. The Mac and Android versions will also get this improvement shortly. Make sure to update Spark and add your account.
There’s a lot to explore, and we hope these updates will help you get the most out of your iPhone & iPad on the new iOS 14.
Make sure to update and try each of them:
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or ping @Readdle on Twitter!
Maria Henyk 
