FileMaker, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, has released the FileMaker 16 Platform (http://www.filemaker.com/r/16), the latest version of its custom app platform that includes everything needed to create, share, and run custom apps for business teams. 

The FileMaker 16 Platform packs “powerful, sophisticated new features that help teams solve business problems quickly and easily,” says Ann Monroe, vice president of worldwide marketing, FileMaker, Inc. These enhancements allow users to create great apps that work across iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac and the web, she adds.

The FileMaker 16 Platform adds animations and transitions with scripts that provide visual cues to help orient users as they navigate through their custom apps on the FileMaker Go app. Enhanced signature capture for the FileMaker Go app allows users to sign documents on iPad and iPhone just as they would on a paper form.

The FileMaker 16 Platform lets you exchange data with other web services and applications using enhanced cURL options and predefined JSON functions in FileMaker Pro. The new Layout Objects window provides a hierarchical list of all objects in a layout. This makes it easy to make changes to an object without having to ungroup the entire set of objects, according to Monroe.

Custom apps accessed via FileMaker WebDirect now can be used by up to 500 users simultaneously, making it easier to share data with an entire team. The FileMaker 16 Platform offers simplified credential management with OAuth 2.0 using third-party authentication providers improves security and safety of custom apps. Existing Amazon, Google or Microsoft Azure account credentials now can be used to log into FileMaker-based custom apps.

Pricing for the FileMaker 16 Platform starts at $888 per year for up to five users. A demo is available for download.