GoodReader iOS PDF app gets major update with all-new UI and viewer, Apple Pencil 2 support, Split View on iPad, much more

Popular iOS PDF app, GoodReader, is out with a major update today for its 10th anniversary. The new release brings a brand new UI and PDF viewer, a continuous scrolling mode, 256-bit encryption, Split View support on iPad, Apple Pencil 2 support, Secure Photocopy redaction, and much more.

GoodReader shared the news about the major iOS update in a press release on its 10th anniversary today:

Ten years ago, Good.iWare introduced what would become the world’s most downloaded PDF viewer and editor for iOS, achieving top-ranked status in countries around the globe. Today, the company celebrates GoodReader’s 10th birthday with the launch of GoodReader 5, bringing a fresh look and deeper document security for iPhone and iPad users.

Here’s are some of the changes users will first notice with GoodReader 5.0.1:

Usability improvements include:

• A redesigned PDF viewer with smoother scrolling, zooming, and page turning.
• A new way to read PDFs, featuring continuous “pageless” scrolling.
• A new pictures viewer, including a more modern look and feel, smooth and fast image loading, and a quick preview bar of all pictures in the folder.
• Split Screen (iPad only), enabling viewing of two files or different parts of the same file side-by-side.
• A new PDF Reflow mode with a continuous “pageless” scroll of pure text extracted from a PDF, with a graphical preview of actual PDF pages shown at every page break.

Other notable improvements include double-tap tool switch support for Apple Pencil 2, AES-256 encryption for both files and folders, the ability to access OneDrive for Business, 2FA support for Box.com, and support for Apple’s “Open in Place.”

GoodReader is a $5.99 download from the App Store with one optional $5.99 in-app Pro Pack purchase to unlock all of the app’s features. The app as an average of 4.4/5 stars on over 3,000 reviews.

Here’s the full changelog (* denotes Pro Pack features):

• completely new UI design: everything is better, faster, easier to find, more intuitive, with a modern new look
• completely redesigned PDF viewer: much smoother scrolling, zooming, and page turning
• PDF: continuous “pageless” scrolling mode
• Split Screen (iPad only) to view two files or two different parts of the same file, side-by-side^*
• military-grade AES-256 encryption for files & folders^*
• add password protection (with strong AES-256 encryption) to PDF files^*
• upgrade weak encryption of old PDF files to AES-256^*
• create password-protected AES-256 encrypted ZIP archives^*
• Secure Photocopy, to completely eliminate all traces of invisible, hidden, or redacted information in a PDF file^*
• secure options for individual PDF pages: email, extract, or export as a separate password-protected file, as a secure photocopy, or both^*
• secure option to e-mail or export any file or folder as a password-protected ZIP^*
• easier closing of and switching between files: just swipe the left or right edge of the screen
• access to OneDrive for Business
• Switch Drives for SharePoint / OneDrive for Business / Office 365^*
• improved Apple Pencil support: start annotating immediately after touching the screen, use Apple Pencil 2’s double-tap to switch tools
• Trash for deleted files & folders
• new Box.com API, now supporting 2-step authentication
• support for Apple’s “Open in Place”: depending on the app sending a file to GoodReader, GoodReader may open the source file residing in that app rather than copying the file to GoodReader
• “Convert to PDF” for pictures and TXT files, plus improved support for built-in iOS conversion for HTML, iWork, and MS Office files^*
• completely redesigned video player with new controls: chapters, frame-by-frame forwarding/rewinding, jumping by 30 seconds, saving a screenshot^* as a separate file
• completely redesigned graphics viewer: much smoother scrolling, zooming, and page turning; easier handling of multiple image tasks like emailing, printing, or PDF conversion
• support for multi-page TIFF: view page-by-page, extract^* individual pages
• better support for animated GIF: view frame-by-frame, extract individual frames^*, play the real-time animation
• completely new WiFi-transfer: much easier transfer of files via a web browser on a computer, with drag-and-drop
• new file list mode: large icons, in addition to existing list and small icon modes
• file list: multi-column list mode
• file-list: auto-scrolling for extra-long file names that don’t fit the screen
• better drag-n-drop for files and folders: now with the option of copying or moving
• completely new PDF Reflow: now with continuous “pageless” scrolling, with embedded preview thumbnails for each page
• file list preview thumbnails now support more file types: TXT, HTML, iWork, MS Office
• better PDF Annotations Summary: choose what types of annotations and what type of information to include in the summary^*
• TXT: pre-composed color schemes for Day and Night reading modes
• new menu auto-hide options: hide all bars automatically, leave the status bar on, don’t auto-hide bars
• countless improvements to every aspect of the app, amounting to a much more efficient and enjoyable experience

(*) – a part of Pro Pack, requires an in-app purchase

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