Apple acquires automation app Workflow

Apple has acquired popular automation app Workflow for an undisclosed sum, reports TechCrunch. Workflow is an iOS app that makes it possible for people to build custom actions involving multiple apps.

Some of the examples of tasks for which Workflow can be used are making animated GIFs, adding a home screen icon to call a loved one and tweeting a song the user has been listening to, according to a description of the app.

Notably, Apple has now made the app free instead of charging $2.99 for it, and the app that currently supports more than 200 actions, with integrations into Apple apps, as well as third-party services like Dropbox, Evernote, and Facebook, will remain available. In that sense, Workflow resembles Automator, an Apple utility app that ships with MacOS Sierra but has no standard-issue equivalent for iOS.

Interestingly, Apple has this time confirmed the acquisition of Workflow, which notably received an Apple Design Award in 2015 for its excellent accessibility features, likely one of the reasons behind the purchase.

As part of the deal, Workflow's creators - developers Ari Weinstein, Conrad Kramer, and Nick Frey - will be joining Apple. "We are thrilled to be joining Apple," said Weinstein in a statement to TechCrunch. "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."

At this point, it isn't clear how the app will be integrated with Apple’s offerings. Besides offering a standalone Workflow app, Apple may look at integrating the technology into iOS with Siri being the key interface for many users, particularly for disabled people.