Google Drive Now Treats Third-Party Apps Just Like the Official Ones

Google Drive has always had a solid platform component, any cloud storage service needs one, but somehow it seems that Dropbox or even Box are doing better than Google, which is surprising considering just how popular most Google APIs are.

Perhaps it's a problem of discovery, that seems to be the idea behind the latest Google Drive addition, third-party apps that integrate Drive now get first billing inside Google Drive just like all the official Google apps, Docs, Sheets and so on, do.

The Create menu now lists any third-party app you have associated with your account, not just the official ones.

"The Google Drive Create menu now elevates Drive-connected apps to the same level as Google apps such as Docs and Sheets. This makes your Drive-connected apps easier to reach and more visible to Google Drive users," Google explained.

If you have a lot of apps, they'll be split into several pages. There's also a link to find more Google Drive apps straight from the Create menu.

This leads to a new apps gallery, which pops up inside Drive, making it possible to find an app you need without even leaving the site. The apps are still housed in the Chrome Web Store.