Why does the "Atlassian Companion App" exist?

Question

Starting this morning i had to install the atlassian companion app to perform tasks which worked flawlessly already. As far as i can tell it does nothing, except handle redundant GUI elements which slow down some of my workflows with extra clicks for things which were a single click before and completely breaks one of my workflows for no apparent benefit.

What does the companion app actually do, except bog down my existing workflows with redundant UI and slow down my workstation with an additional process?

Aron Ahlback · Answer

Thank you! I will reach out to my admins to see if this is a possibility for us.

Davin Studer · Answer

Previously, in Confluence you could only edit Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint) through Confluence without having to do the dance of downloading a copy of the attachment, editing the local copy, saving it, and then uploading it back into Confluence. The companion app adds that ability to other file types other than Microsoft Office. For instance you could attach a Photoshop file to a Confluence page and simply edit the file and save it without the hassle. If you do not like the Companion app or cannot use it because you are in an environment that does not support it (such as Citrix) you can disable that functionality and restore the old functionality through a dark feature switch.