Apple Notes is Better Than You Think (Apple Notes Review 2023) 

I tried a lot of apps for note taking, to do lists, calendar… I always come back to the basic Apple ones. They are so intuitive and well integrated with each other it is tough to beat if your entire ecosystem is on the Apple side…

Really helpful video. Despite not being new to the Apple ecosystem I’m new to iPad and this is a great overview of the functionality of the app. The only recommendation I have for the video would have been to cover the integration with other Apple apps a little more, like being able to link reminders/tasks in the Reminders app which I think is a great USP of the Notes app.

Beautifully presented content. I love that it is clam unhurried and is rich in content. A very good synopsis of the app.

Good video 🙂Tried to replace Evernote with Apple Notes, just can't do it, lacking so many features. It's great for what it is, very basic and you can nest folders, iCloud sync, has it's uses, and more secure than most being in the Apple ecosystem so great for scanning in financial and other sensitive data.

one issue though I have had with apple notes is that it starts to take a toll on your device when the notes get relatively long, like maybe 3 or 4 pages. my iPad has overheated and the note taking becomes laggy at this length of notes. so maybe not too good for long lectures and serious note taking.

As a person who uses Iphone and ipad but with Windows laptop. My best option is to use Microsoft Onenote and Google Keep as it sync to both ios and windows. While I use google keep for the last 4 years to organize reminders, few words listing like grocery, meetings, task. But i heard that Goodnotes is working now for windows and android versions.

I use apple pre installed app calendar, reminders,notes and they worked just fine. My work and study all rely on this apps and so far they never let me down.

There is a major issue with apple notes & using the apple pencil. A lengthy handwritten (apple pencil) will cause lag & delay on the notes app, & oddly enough glitches the layout of the note as well. The only solution that I've encountered is to periodically break up the note with 'typed text'. This is such a glaring issue that I'm surprised apple hasn't fixed it. As a student whose primary use of the ipad pro is with an apple pencil it is unacceptable to me personally. I've returned to notability even though I would have preferred a native ipados solution.

Another great reason to use it, on the ipad, a diagonal swipe up from the bottom right opens up a quick note, no matter what app you're in. Also, you can touch the screen with the pencil, even when your screen is dark, and it will open up a blank quick note.

Great video, thank you!

Great video , how do you move text around the page , to make for example an invoice?

Thank you so much for broadening my horizons. I occasionally overlook the little useful things like this app. 😅 And, could you please tell me the names of some fonts used in your video? I sincerely hope you will respond to my comment. Thank you in advance! ❤

Yep, Apple Notes is quite underrated, but it's not a surprise, as it was very limited for a long time. Amazing job, Joao!

Thanks for this video

This was fantastic - thank you!!

Great video!

I have several notes. They’re best for checklists and quick things to jot down.

Can you import templates, like calendars, etc...?

I’ve encountered one bug that I really hope Apple fix it soon. Since you can do endless continuous note in one note, I try to fit all my note for a big lesson in a single note, which becomes a very long handwriting note. And when there are lots and lots of handwriting in one note, the Apple Pencil detection start to react really slow, the stroke start to disappear after I write the word, and the note simply just stop functioning properly. I think this started from the ios16.1 update because I can write normally before that update, and after my 2020 120g iPad Pro update to 16.1 over night, I can’t write anything without stuttering a lot in the same note anymore. I have share the same long handwriting note to a m2 iPad Pro and it reacts just slightly better than my old iPad Pro. My m1 iMac can’t even display that note properly. Apple note is a decent note app, and I really like it. Just don’t make handwritten note too long and crash it.

Thanks for your tutorial but is it possible export a note with the date Of creation? If I wanna see in my documents what can I do? And right now export more than one notes is it possible?

How the heck do you add hyperlinked text on iPad?? I can’t find the option on the text format menu.

Thx for sharing 😊

So far so good. But how can I mark a text written with the keyboard with the Apple Pencil? As an example, mark important words in red, yellow?

Hi! Can you guide to make subpage option in apple note just like that in Microsoft OneNote? Also, I found it difficult to adjust the size of picture in apple notes. Third, selecting the grid lines on apple notes when I have already put some pictures on blank page is some thing weird as the lines will appears below the pictures and will note cover the part of page where the picture is present, this is not with Microsoft OneNote. Please do give me your valuable comments! Thanks Dr Syed Hussain

In spite of a few small limitations, I still find myself returning to Apple Notes!!!! It just works!!!

Obsidian all the way for text based notes !

For some reason on Customize Toolbar will not show on my notes app. Do you know why? I have been trying to figure this out but I am still confused.

Ur voice is so calm n smooth … well spoken

Thanks for this review! I love Apple Notes and you shared some features I wasn’t aware of to use.

Can I import my notes from Microsoft Notes to the Apple Notes??

does scribble convert any words or letters? or it must be in english or common language ? because i write in short and my mother tongue is rare and want to know if it will work for my class notes

Great video!!! I invested the $45 plus tax and shipping into your two screens. The first one wound up with scratch marks from the Apple Pencil. The second one is peeling back on one of the corners. For such an expensive product you would think they’d be an applicator that would come with it, so that this doesn’t happen. Very disappointed for the amount of money I spent on this.

is it able to do undo and redo?

Notes runs and looks good for short fast notes. For longer notes and using features like handoff to a Mac from an iPad it is a bad option. As others have stated in the comments of this video, longer notes lag and tax your device. When using handoff from an iPad to a Mac any handwritten notes have disappeared for me. Not sure if it’s due to the lack of handwritten functionality for Mac or what can be causing this?

The problem with exporting actually has a very simple solution. Open the notes file in pages, set the format, and export it with a variety of options.

very nice job !

I really want to use the stock app. Unfortunately this can’t compete with good notes for keeping a work diary. Loading in a PDF journal like in GoodNotes just isn’t as good. Fingers crossed for iOS 18 notes app

Всегда пользуюсь этим приложением и считаю его лучшим. 👍🏽

Not sure if any of you have the same issue that Notes has become very laggy when writing. I used it on my Ipad Pro M2 11" and the writing lags sometimes by a second or 2. So went back to Notabilty and MS OneNote.

I rate the apple tools. Sure, there’s features I wish they had, but all in all they are simple and don’t get in the way.

Does anybody know how to add a picture into cell of a table? And is there a way to adjust the column width? At the moment it seems that both of it isn't possible. 2023... or am I ignorant?

I can honestly say that Paperlike has been a game changer for me while using my M1 iPad Pro. Until a couple of weeks ago I had never heard of it. I found out when I purchased a digital planner on Etsy. I will never have an iPad without Paperlike. They are the perfect couple!

Good video but I think that it is intended for the ones that do not have to take notes for a long amount of time. Indeed, using Apple built-in notes app is good though it rapidly drains battery - I think it’s due to high and constant refresh rate - and when it comes to very long notes it becomes laggy. In addition, you cannot zoom in/out and this is a big deal. There are loads of things that simply need to be rearranged but Apple doesn’t seem interested in Notes’ side of handwriting. Freeform is still not good as competitors.

Is it possible to eventually export data from the Notes app and transfer it elsewhere, other than downloading your iCloud notes to your PC or Mac?

Absence of Vector Ink is a huge con for Notes. They should have probably integrated Freeform and Notes into a single app.

I love Applenotes, decided to watch all these features

Hi Paperlike amigo, you know I uninstalled Notes app from my Macbook pro/Highsierra, and I would like to install again. But I couldn't found the notes.app nowhere. Can you help me in this case, from where can I download it? Thanks

my biggest gripe is that i'm just so used to two finger tapping to undo, from csp and procreate. three finger double tapping isn't as nice

How to insert more free space in note?

You get a like just for that coffee sip. 😊

The only problem I see is that it doesn’t allow you to zoom in, which is more of an issue when you’re taking notes in split view, cuz when you open them in full screen later they’re huge af

Can someone help me with an issue? I can not select several pictures in the notes 😢 And other issue, some pictures get into the hand writing are, some goes into the attachment are. How can i deal with these issues? Thank is advance!

since this video is about note on ipad , yesterday i written note for my lecture on my ipad . After i open the note , it disappeared and couldnt find it anywhere . There also no recently delete as well . I am so confused . Pls help ......

When you use the Notes app on a laptop, I have a MacBook Air, you can change the font, the color, the size all of that… I wish they would make those features available on an iPad because I generally use the Notes app more on my iPad or my phone but I do on occasion use it if I’m using my laptop. Currently you can’t really change the font When you use it on the iPad other than heading body text things like that I want to actually change the font to something different or be able to change the color of the text, etc.

Apple notes is best used as a day to day scratchpad with tag and scheduling abilities. Not as a full featured note app. And both are equally important.

I just bought an ipad and i can´t really get to write into the text. Like circulate sth in the text I like to write like in a keyboard. Don´t know if I get myself understood. Can you write and draw on the text you wrote with the font like the keyboard? or it is forced to be separated, it separates the text from the drawn ideas and the only thing you can do is use the marker

I don't have a Mac, what's Apple notes alternative on Windows? OneNote?

If paperlike makes a spare tip and grips for the Spen then they've won the market

still not able to import pdf for editing =(

Not able to edit in any of the grid or lines layouts. Is anyone able to use them ?

I can't write on a picture I have added on Apple notes. Eg. Flow chart or any diagram, on whom I want to add something.

Can anyone help me find something that i can take notes on my Windows laptop and iphone which links with each other for free?

Felt the latency is better on Apple notes... But lacks some advanced features

Try BoardNotes

Unfortunately the notes I have typed until now ends up getting delated and idk how that happens all the time 😢😢

I bought this new iPad Air and I was making notes with video playing in a split screen mode , my ipad over heated , screen where I touched with pencil became laggy and sometimes Flickered. It made me feel there is some problem in my iPad Air 5 ! Is any one else facing similar problem ?

anyone knows how to highlight context in notes app in a macbook rather than ipad with a apple pencil

Apple Notes will only improve with videos like this being produced! Thanks!

Highlighter does not work on many iPads . Apple needs to fix this!

The only missing for ipad apple note is the pinch zoom in function for drawing.. Like the one they have on the phone 😢

No one mentioned that note app drain battery and generate heat in unacceptable manner of noting with Apple Pencil , even with powerful m1 iPad Pro. Whenever the note get longer, the Apple Pencil response is sluggish and unpleasant to use.

ive got one of those pepaerlike screen ptrotectors, and actually it doesnt feel like paper lol, hope you dont delete this comment, it could help on reducing the highlights tho, which kind of make it worth having one if you like to read

There's a few things to get down with Notes, but once you do, Notes is great. I can add to my Notes while driving as I have Apple CarPlay. Besides the shower, that's when I come up with my best ideas.

I was happy for like 12 hours. The next time i open my ipad. There is a bubble grew out of no where.

I do all my school notes in apple notes.

Can i open and annotate pdfs in apple notes??? Kindly reply.

Mini or 11 pro better for notes?

I liked notes but today I learned that I can NOT send a PDF from notes via gmail on my updated 2023 macbook pro 14" . I can on iphone 13 pro though. This is ENTIRELY frustrating.

I prefeer GoodNotes.

Noto in appstore is fire like apple notes on steroids

I hope the apple note can sketch or mark direct to attachment image..actually we can not..

I'm starting to love/hate apple notes. I'm building a WIKI as I re-learn how to use apple tools. Anyway once you link everything if you have to restore many of the links are broken and I have to re-link them. Settings like "on my mac" are a killer. Everything has to be in the clould to work right. Anyway I would like to see a video on how to make/keep/repair them... some kind of smart links. Love your video's so far. Thank you.

I would use it more if it had a WORD COUNT!

I was updating an A4 pdf document daily for mental health, the document was 300mb by the end of them for on page not even one quarter full…..

I gave up on using Apple Notes because there were sync issues between devices.

I always have a problem because when I rest my hand whilst writing, it doesn’t work

I like craft the most

I still can’t get any good writing done with Apple Notes. They should copy the different pens and styluses from apps like Goodnotes or Noteshelf. Thosecare perfect. Clear, visible hand writing.

What about freeform on apple?

Need protected folder

subhanallah, indah sekali ya ALlah..

Still no option to manually sort notes...

What size iPad r u using in this video?

I thought notes are not saved in icloud?

I use it to take math notes from my college. No more paper

One big problem- you can’t search for folders, only notes.

Você é brasileiro né? Acredito que seja, pois eu vi aquelas recomendações em português kkkk

👍🏻👍🏻.

I save everything in Notes 😂

Can you explain why you can’t search for a folder by its name? It is so annoying!