Overview
This video outlines ten useful and lesser-known features of the iPhone Notes app, plus two upcoming features with iOS 26, providing practical tips for maximizing its capabilities.
Navigating Notes Efficiently
- The Recent Notes feature lets you quickly access up to eight recently viewed notes without navigating folders.
- You can clear the Recent Notes list with a dedicated button.
Creating and Managing Searchable PDF Archives
- You can convert web articles to searchable PDFs via the Print function and store them in Notes.
- PDFs saved in Notes are fully searchable.
Adding and Managing Links
- Long-press in a note to add links to websites or other notes.
- Internal links can be used to create directories or a wiki-like structure within Notes.
Scanning Handwritten and Printed Content
- The paperclip icon provides options to scan text (OCR) or full documents.
- Handwritten notes become searchable if legible.
Organizing with Collapsible Headings
- Using headings allows you to collapse or expand sections for tidier, more manageable notes.
Collaboration and Sharing
- You can collaborate on entire folders, not just individual notes.
- Collaborators gain edit access to all notes within shared folders.
Integrating Notes with Reminders
- Although full integration is limited, you can link notes to reminders via drag-and-drop or Siri (“Remind me about this”).
Using Smart Folders
- Smart folders use filters (tags, dates, attachments, etc.) to automatically organize notes.
- Filters can help surface untagged notes or manage temporary QuickNotes.
Mono Style Text Formatting
- The Mono Style feature provides a monospaced font, ideal for code snippets, serial numbers, or structured data.
Annotating PDFs
- PDFs in Notes can be annotated using the markup feature, including highlighting and drawing.
- Holding your finger after highlighting neaten the highlight automatically.
Upcoming Features in iOS 26
- Export note contents in markdown format.
- The Notes app is coming to Apple Watch, allowing viewing and creating notes via Siri and dictation.
Questions / Follow-Ups
- The presenter invites viewers to comment with additional tips or features they use in Notes.