Notes (Apple)

It functions as a service for making short text notes, which can be synchronized between devices using Apple's iCloud service.

The application uses a similar interface on iOS and macOS, with a non-textured paper background for notes and light yellow icons, suggesting pencil or crayon.

Until 2013, both applications used a strongly skeuomorphic interface, with a lined, textured paper design; the Mountain Lion version placed this inside a leather folder. This design was replaced in OS X Mavericks and iOS 7.

In iOS 7, as with all other default apps, Notes was redesigned, losing the notepad like UI in the process.

Starting with iOS 9, Notes received a significant functional overhaul: iCloud sync (instead of IMAP; in-line with the OS X El Capitan version), the ability to create sketches (and later, support for Apple Pencil), advanced text formatting options, several styles of lists, rich web and map link previews, support for more file type attachments, a corresponding dedicated attachment browser and a system share extension point for saving web links, images, etc.{{cite web|title=Inside iOS 9: Apple's Notes app is greatly enhanced with drawings, lists, pictures, links & more|url=http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/06/12/inside-ios-9-apples-notes-app-is-greatly-enhanced-with-drawings-lists-pictures-links-more|website=AppleInsider|date=June 12, 2015|access-date=April 24, 2016|language=en-US|archive-date=November 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116155337/http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/06/12/inside-ios-9-apples-notes-app-is-greatly-enhanced-with-drawings-lists-pictures-links-more/|url-status=live}}

As of iOS 9.3, individual notes can be password-protected (with the ability to use Touch ID to unlock all notes on compatible devices), however, only one password can be set for all notes locked henceforth. The password syncs across compatible devices.{{cite web|title=Keep your notes secure with password-protection - Apple Support|url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205794|website=support.apple.com|access-date=May 22, 2022|archive-date=May 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513213735/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205794|url-status=live}}

In iOS 10, Notes now has a collaboration feature for many people to work on a note at the same time.{{Cite news|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/3095260/ios-apps/how-to-collaborate-on-notes-in-ios-10.html|title=How to collaborate on Notes in iOS 10|newspaper=Macworld|access-date=May 22, 2022|archive-date=December 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203010028/http://www.macworld.com/article/3095260/ios-apps/how-to-collaborate-on-notes-in-ios-10.html|url-status=live}}

The update to Notes released with iOS 11 adds tables,{{Cite web|url=http://ioshacker.com/ipad/notes-app-features-ios-11|title=5 Awesome New Features iOS 11 Brings To The Notes App: Its A Big Plus|author=Zaib Ali|date=June 18, 2017|access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-date=August 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825000132/http://ioshacker.com/ipad/notes-app-features-ios-11|url-status=live}} pinned notes,{{Cite news|url=http://www.iphonehacks.com/2017/07/ios-11-notes-app-new-features.html|title=10 New Features in iOS 11 Notes App|date=July 5, 2017|work=iPhone Hacks {{!}} #1 iPhone, iPad, iOS Blog|access-date=August 30, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=August 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830151247/http://www.iphonehacks.com/2017/07/ios-11-notes-app-new-features.html|url-status=dead}} a document scanner, graph and lined paper, monospaced text support, handwriting search and improved integration with Apple Pencil.

Tapping the Pencil on the Lock screen will bring up a new note, with drawing active; the Pencil can also be used while in the Notes app to start an inline drawing.

In iOS 13, the Notes app includes a new gallery view that displays notes as thumbnails, and shared folders.

Checklist items can be automatically moved to the bottom when completed, and can be reordered using drag and drop.

Search can find text in documents scanned using Notes and can recognise images within notes.{{Cite web |title=What's New in Notes for iOS and iPadOS |url=https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210552 |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Apple Support |language=en |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326151353/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210552 |url-status=live }}

Notes supports using tags to categorize notes, and using mentions to notify collaborators of important changes to shared notes.

A new Activity view shows all the recent changes to a shared note.{{Cite web |last=Adorno |first=José |date=2021-09-22 |title=iOS 15: Here's everything new with the Notes app |url=https://9to5mac.com/2021/09/22/ios-15-notes-app-iphone/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=9to5Mac |language=en-US}}

Quick Notes is now available on iPhone through the Share Sheet, and Smart Folders support new filters for organizing notes.

Notes can be locked using the device passcode, instead of using a specific passcode only for locked notes.{{Cite web |title=iOS 16: Everything New With Notes and Reminders |url=https://www.macrumors.com/guide/notes-reminders-ios-16/ |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=MacRumors |date=September 12, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326151351/https://www.macrumors.com/guide/notes-reminders-ios-16/ |url-status=live }}

Prior to Mountain Lion, Apple Mail on macOS supported a mailbox containing notes, which was synced with notes in the Notes application in iOS. This situation was a kludge: as Apple Mail already implemented the IMAP mailbox synchronization protocol, it could also sync notes with minimal additional work.{{cite web|last1=Gruber|first1=John|title=Mountain Lion|url=http://daringfireball.net/2012/02/mountain_lion|website=Daring Fireball|access-date=September 4, 2014|archive-date=March 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306012122/https://daringfireball.net/2012/02/mountain_lion|url-status=live}}

In Mountain Lion, notes were moved to a separate Notes application.{{cite web |title=OS X Mountain Lion - See everything the new OS X can do. |url=https://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#notes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615184657/https://www.apple.com/osx/whats-new/features.html#notes |archive-date=June 15, 2012 |access-date=February 22, 2012 |publisher=Apple |at=Section "Notes"}}{{cite web|last=Titlow|first=John Paul|title=Apple's Convergence of Desktop and Mobile Continues With Mountain Lion|url=http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/apples_convergence_of_desktop_and_mobile_continues.php|publisher=ReadWrite|access-date=April 24, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421084135/http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/apples_convergence_of_desktop_and_mobile_continues.php|archive-date=April 21, 2012}} Created notes are synced through all the user's Apple devices through the iCloud service. Notes can be arranged in folders and pinned to the user's desktop.

When the application is closed, the pinned note still remains. Additionally, unlike the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch versions, the OS X Mountain Lion Notes application allows for images to be embedded within notes.

Originally, notes could be created in three different default fonts, Noteworthy, Marker Felt, and Helvetica. Users could also add custom fonts by visiting the "Show Fonts" menu. The menu allows users to change text size, and format lists, choose the alignment (left, center, justify, or right), assign a writing direction, and indent text. Attachments, images, and hyperlinks can also be added to a note. Attachments cannot be viewed on iOS devices.{{cite web | url=http://www.macworld.com/article/1167895/up_close_with_mountain_lion_notes.html | title=Up close with Mountain Lion: Notes | publisher=Mac Publishing | work=Macworld | date=July 26, 2012 | access-date=September 3, 2012 | author=Breen, Christopher | archive-date=August 29, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829012500/http://www.macworld.com/article/1167895/up_close_with_mountain_lion_notes.html | url-status=live }}

Due to the proprietary nature of the data storage mechanism for the Apple Notes apps, users of this software may be locked into it without a convenient way to export all Notes data to a different format.{{Cite web |title=Obsidian Importer now converts Apple Notes to portable, durable files |url=https://obsidian.md/blog/apple-notes-export/ |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=obsidian.md |language=en |archive-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207112215/https://obsidian.md/blog/apple-notes-export/ |url-status=live }}

While Apple does provide a way to export individual notes as PDF files, the software does not provide a mechanism to export the text of all notes to a text file, a Rich Text File, or other commonly-used data file formats as a bulk data transfer. However, advanced users can utilize AppleScript or Shortcuts to automate note exports.

As of OS X El Capitan, Notes received a significant functional overhaul (in-line with the iOS 9 version), with major features including: iCloud sync, the ability to view sketches created on the iOS counterpart, advanced text formatting options, several styles of lists, rich web and map link previews, support for more file type attachments, a corresponding dedicated attachment browser and a system share extension point for saving web links, images, etc.{{cite web|title=Hands-on with Notes 4 in El Capitan|url=http://www.macworld.com/article/2947757/os-x/hands-on-with-notes-4-in-el-capitan.html|website=Macworld|access-date=April 24, 2016|archive-date=April 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425000835/http://www.macworld.com/article/2947757/os-x/hands-on-with-notes-4-in-el-capitan.html|url-status=live}}

As of OS X El Capitan 4, individual notes can be password-protected, with the password syncing across compatible devices.

The update to Notes released with macOS High Sierra adds tables.{{Cite news|url=https://www.imore.com/how-use-tables-high-sierras-notes-app|title=How to use tables in Notes in macOS High Sierra|work=iMore|access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911114819/https://www.imore.com/how-use-tables-high-sierras-notes-app|url-status=live}}

The new Notes app in macOS Catalina lets users turn their notes into reminders.{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Nutan |date=2023-10-28 |title=How to turn notes into reminders on iPhone, iPad, and Mac |url=https://thewritingparadigm.com/how-to-turn-notes-into-reminders/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=thewritingparadigm.com |language=en-US}}

With macOS Sonoma, Notes now lets users create links between notes.

Social media users have often used the Notes application to write short notes, which can then be posted as a screenshot to social media sites such as Instagram or Twitter.{{cite news |last1=Weber |first1=Lindsey |title=How We Apologize Now |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/12/style/notes-app-celebrity-statements.html |access-date=May 13, 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=January 12, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Ruiz |first1=Michelle |title=2019 Was the Year of the Celebrity Notes App Statement |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/best-celebrity-notes-app-statements-2019 |access-date=May 13, 2020 |work=Vogue |date=December 31, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805190808/https://www.vogue.com/article/best-celebrity-notes-app-statements-2019 |url-status=live }}

Writers have noted that this form of communication has often been used by celebrities to make public statements, perhaps to give them an informal feel or extend beyond platform character limits, including often to post public apologies.{{cite web |last1=Way |first1=Katie |title=A power-ranking of every celebrity iPhone note 'apology,' from Logan Paul to Lena Dunham |url=https://babe.net/2018/04/13/celebrity-scandal-apology-ios-notes-iphone-49444 |website=Babe |date=April 13, 2018 |access-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629231404/https://babe.net/2018/04/13/celebrity-scandal-apology-ios-notes-iphone-49444 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Kesslen |first1=Ben |title=Why Sarah Sanders used the Notes app, just like many celebrities |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/why-sarah-sanders-used-notes-app-just-all-celebrities-n972301 |website=NBC News |date=February 17, 2019 |access-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-date=September 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902213800/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/why-sarah-sanders-used-notes-app-just-all-celebrities-n972301 |url-status=live }}

• {{annotated link|Evernote}}
• {{annotated link|Google Keep}}
• {{annotated link|Microsoft OneNote}}
• {{annotated link|Reminders (Apple)}}
• {{annotated link|Windows Notepad}}
• {{annotated link|Notebook}}

• [https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205773 Use Notes on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch] on support.apple.com

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Category: IOS software

Category:MacOS text-related software

Category: IOS-based software made by Apple Inc.

Category: Note-taking software