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Freeform is a free collaborative whiteboard tool for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Place shapes and text boxes, draw, and import other media to brainstorm and plan projects. Collaborate with others in real time by sharing your boards with up to 100 people.
Apple now includes an app called Freeform on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. So what exactly does this app do, what is it for, and can you remove it?
What is the Freeform app on iPhone, iPad and Mac?
Freeform is a free whiteboard app designed for brainstorming, planning, and collaboration. This proprietary Apple app is available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but it didn’t appear until updates to iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS 13.1 in late 2022.
Freeform includes tools for placing text boxes, shapes and geometry, stamps, sticky notes, plus pen and pencil tools. You can also insert images from Files, web links, document scans, camera shots, or media stored in your Photos library.
How to use the freeform app
Freeform uses what Apple calls “boards” as canvases of infinite scale, with a grid background that you can turn on and off. You can use the tools at the top (iPad and Mac) or bottom (iPhone) of the screen to add text, drawings, categorized shapes, and other media.
These objects are vector-based, which means they can be resized and moved without losing quality, unlike raster media like photos, which lose quality if you zoom in or zoom too much. Drawing tools are only available on touchscreen devices.
Touch or click and drag to reposition and resize items. Items can be edited once you’ve placed them, including drawings that appear as objects like any other. Right-click or tap, then use the “…” context menu to access more controls, such as the ability to move these objects back or forward in the stack, lock them in place, change colors, duplicate and more.
Use the “Share” button to add other contributors to your board. You can have up to 100 people on a single board, working in real time on a single project. You can share a single board with an entire chat group, and you can modify permissions, including who can edit, who can invite, and disable link-based invites during the invite process.
Freeform syncs via iCloud, so every board you create or changes you make should appear on every device. Can’t find the Freeform app? Make sure you’ve updated your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the latest version of Apple software. You’ll find it in Settings (system) > General > Software update.
RELATED: How to turn your iPad into a drawing tablet
Some examples of uses for Apple Freeform
Apple has designed a set of tools that allows you to brainstorm and get all kinds of ideas on a canvas that should appear on all your devices. These are great for creating simple idea boards, spider diagrams, and mind maps to develop ideas on a personal or collaborative scale.
If you’re artistically inclined, you should find the included drawing tools sufficient for creating sketches, rough outlines, and proofs of concept. This arguably works best with a stylus like the Apple Pencil on an iPad, and is a far cry from drawing apps like Procreate.
As a collaboration tool, Freeform has great potential. Once you’ve invited others to share your boards, you can collaborate in real time, complete with built-in FaceTime integration (click or tap the collaboration button and then hit the “Audio” or “Video” button to get started).
The app is even great for local collaboration, like when your MacBook is connected to a projector in a meeting. The dashboard can be printed or shared later with any other member who needs to access it. You can also export a dashboard as a PDF to archive or share with clients or those who don’t have a compatible device.
Don’t like the free form? delete it
Freeform comes pre-installed on iPhone or iPad, but you can remove it if you don’t want to. On an iPhone or iPad, tap and hold the app icon, then tap “Delete App” followed by “Delete App” when prompted. You cannot remove Freeform from macOS.
If you deleted the app and want to get it back, you can reinstall it from the App Store. Looking for an alternative to Freeform that works on all operating systems? Try Microsoft Whiteboard instead.
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