Google adds Face ID protection to Google Drive iOS app

Two iOS apps from rival companies got an update on Tuesday as Google Drive added Face ID and Passcode Protection and Microsoft Outlook brought in an Ignore Conversation feature.

Despite Google’s Android being a direct competitor to iOS in the mobile space, the Alphabet-owned company continues to offer stellar support for its apps on Apple’s mobile operating system.

The latest to get an update this week is Google Drive for both iPhone and iPad.

Google has rolled out a new Privacy Screen feature that allows users to keep files locked behind Face ID or passcode authentication.

When users fire up the Google Drive app, they will now see the Privacy Screen after it has been enabled under settings in the top-left corner of the display.

There is also an option to ‘delay’ the privacy screen for up to 10 minutes after opening Google Drive and switching between apps.

This is presumably designed to help users protect their data for a certain amount of time depending on the threat level nearby.

Google spoke about the new feature for Google Drive last month, but it has taken a while for the update to arrive.

Microsoft also updated its Outlook for iPhone and iPad on Tuesday.

Users will be able to access an Ignore Conversation feature to jettison annoying multi-reply threats from an inbox.

In the release notes, Microsoft said: “Sick of that company-wide email that everyone is still replying all to? So are we.

“Stay focused on what’s important by getting it and all future replies out of your inbox and straight into deleted items with our new Ignore Conversation feature.”

The feature is already available on other platforms, but Microsoft has decided to bring it over to iOS to improve the experience on Apple devices.

The Google Drive and Microsoft Outlook apps can be downloaded for free from the App Store.

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