You’re using Apple Notes wrong

Oliur / UltraLinx
21 Jun 202309:01

TLDRThe video script discusses the underutilization of the Apple Notes app, which is often overlooked in favor of more complex productivity apps. The speaker argues that the built-in Notes app on iPhones is the best for personal use, offering a range of features like folder organization, smart folders with customizable conditions, tagging for categorization, and the ability to create nested folders. It also includes tools for adding tables, formatting text, checklists, and a scanning tool for documents. Additional features highlighted are the quick note button in the Control Center, the option to lock notes with Face ID for security, sharing and collaboration capabilities, pinning frequently accessed notes, and the ability to swipe on notes for quick actions. The script emphasizes the app's powerful search functionality that can find text within scanned documents, concluding that Notes is a highly capable and often underappreciated app.

Takeaways

  • 📱 The best notes app might already be on your phone, such as the built-in Notes app on an iPhone.
  • 🔍 You can create folders and even Smart Folders with specific conditions for organizing your notes.
  • 🏷️ Adding tags to notes is a great way to categorize and automatically organize them into folders.
  • 📅 You can filter notes by various criteria including creation date, edit date, shared status, and more.
  • 📑 Notes app allows you to add tables, format text, and use checklists for better organization.
  • 📸 The built-in scanning tool in Notes is useful for digitizing documents and IDs, which can be shared easily.
  • ✍️ The drawing tool in Notes can recognize and perfect shapes you draw, which is helpful for document markup.
  • 🔓 You can secure sensitive notes using Face ID to lock and unlock them for privacy.
  • 🔄 A Quick Note button can be added to the Control Centre for fast note-taking without opening the app.
  • 📌 Pinning a note keeps it at the top for easy access to frequently used notes.
  • 🔎 The Notes app can search for text within scanned documents, making it easy to find specific information.
  • 🤝 Notes can be shared and collaborated on with others, enhancing teamwork and information sharing.

Q & A

  • What is the speaker's opinion on the best notes app for personal use?

    -The speaker believes that the best notes app for personal use is likely the one that is already built into your phone, specifically mentioning the Notes app on the iPhone as the best app for their personal notes.

  • Why did the speaker initially try other note-taking apps like Evernote and Notion?

    -The speaker initially tried other note-taking apps because they thought the Notes app was quite basic and wanted to explore more feature-rich alternatives.

  • What is a Smart Folder and how is it useful in the Notes app?

    -A Smart Folder in the Notes app is a folder that automatically organizes notes based on certain conditions set by the user, such as tags, date created, date edited, and more. It's useful because it helps users categorize and find specific notes more efficiently.

  • How can you categorize notes in the Notes app using tags?

    -You can categorize notes by adding tags to them. For example, by adding a hashtag like '#recipe' to a note, you can then create a Smart Folder that automatically organizes all notes with that tag into a folder.

  • What is the scanning tool in the Notes app used for?

    -The scanning tool in the Notes app is used to scan documents or text and add them directly into a note. It's useful for digitizing physical documents like IDs, passports, or any other paperwork that needs to be stored or shared.

  • How can you quickly add a note without opening the Notes app?

    -You can quickly add a note by adding a Quick Note button to the Control Centre on your iPhone. This allows you to add a note directly from the Control Centre without having to open the Notes app.

  • What is the purpose of locking a note with Face ID in the Notes app?

    -Locking a note with Face ID is used to protect sensitive information within a note. Once locked, the note can only be accessed after the user has authenticated with their Face ID or entered their passcode.

  • How can you share notes with other iPhone users who also have the Notes app?

    -You can share notes by tapping the share icon at the top of the note, then selecting 'collaborate' and sharing the note with anyone you need to. This allows multiple users to access and edit the same note.

  • What is the benefit of pinning a note in the Notes app?

    -Pinning a note keeps it at the top of your notes list, making it easily accessible if it's a note that you frequently need to refer to or edit.

  • How can you organize your notes using the swipe gesture in the Notes app?

    -You can swipe right on a note to pin it, or swipe left to share it, organize it into a folder, or delete it. This provides a quick way to manage notes without having to open them.

  • What is the document search feature in the Notes app and how does it work?

    -The document search feature allows you to search for text within scanned documents attached to a note. If you search for a word that is in the document, the app will find the note and highlight the attachment containing that word, making it easy to locate.

  • Why does the speaker recommend using the Notes app over other note-taking apps?

    -The speaker recommends using the Notes app because it is pre-installed, has a wide range of features like tagging, smart folders, document scanning, and note sharing, and can handle most note-taking needs without the need for additional apps.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Discovering the Full Potential of the iPhone's Notes App

The speaker begins by advising viewers to stop searching for the perfect notes or productivity app and instead utilize the Notes app that comes pre-installed on their smartphones. The speaker, an iPhone user, shares their personal journey from using the basic Notes app to exploring alternatives like Evernote and Notion, and then returning to the Notes app for personal use. The video aims to explore the capabilities of the Notes app, offering tips and tricks to maximize its use. The speaker highlights the app's folder organization system, including the ability to create folders and Smart Folders with specific conditions. They also discuss the addition of tags to categorize notes and the various ways notes can be organized, such as by creation date, editing date, or the presence of checklists and attachments. The speaker demonstrates how to create a new folder and a Smart Folder, and how to tag notes for easy organization.

05:00

📱 Advanced Features of the Notes App for Enhanced Productivity

The speaker continues by diving into the advanced features of the Notes app, such as adding tables for organization, formatting text with titles, headings, and various styles, and creating checklists for tasks. They also discuss the scanning tool within the Notes app, which allows users to scan documents directly into a note, and the drawing tool that can recognize and perfect basic shapes. The video also covers the Quick Note feature, which can be added to the Control Centre for fast note-taking, and the option to lock sensitive notes with Face ID. Additionally, the speaker talks about sharing notes with others, pinning frequently accessed notes to the top, and the ability to perform quick actions on notes through swiping gestures. The speaker concludes by praising the Notes app's ability to search text within scanned documents, a feature they find particularly impressive. They encourage viewers to give the Notes app a try and utilize its full range of features.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Notes app

The Notes app is a pre-installed application on Apple devices, such as the iPhone, used for creating and managing text-based notes. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that despite its simplicity, the Notes app is highly functional and can be the best choice for personal note-taking due to its seamless integration with the device's ecosystem.

💡Productivity app

A productivity app is a software tool designed to help users manage their tasks, time, and workflow more efficiently. The video suggests that while many people search for the 'best' productivity app, the built-in Notes app on an iPhone can be just as effective for personal use, highlighting its underrated capabilities.

💡Smart Folder

A Smart Folder is a feature within the Notes app that allows users to automatically organize notes based on specific conditions or tags. The video demonstrates how to create a Smart Folder and use tags to categorize and easily locate notes, showcasing the app's advanced organizational capabilities.

💡Table

In the context of the Notes app, a table is a structured layout tool that enables users to input and organize information in a grid format. The video shows how to add, delete, and format tables within notes, which can be useful for organizing lists, budgets, or any data that benefits from a tabular presentation.

💡Checklist

A checklist in the Notes app is a feature that allows users to create a list of items with checkboxes for easy tracking of tasks or items to be purchased. The video mentions how the checklist can be used for grocery shopping or any scenario where tracking the completion of multiple items is required.

💡Scanning tool

The scanning tool within the Notes app is a feature that allows users to capture and digitize physical documents using the device's camera. The video demonstrates how this tool can be used to scan documents like a driver's license or passport and add them directly into a note for easy access and sharing.

💡Pen tool

The pen tool in the Notes app is used for drawing or annotating within a note. The video highlights a unique feature where the tool can recognize and refine rough shapes into perfect geometric forms, which can be particularly useful for sketching diagrams or making precise annotations.

💡Quick Note

Quick Note is a feature that allows users to jot down notes instantly without opening the full Notes app. The video explains how to add a Quick Note button to the Control Centre for fast access, which is particularly handy for capturing fleeting thoughts or ideas on the go.

💡Face ID

Face ID is a biometric security feature on Apple devices that uses facial recognition to unlock the device or secure apps. In the context of the Notes app, the video shows how to use Face ID to lock individual notes containing sensitive information, adding an extra layer of security.

💡Collaboration

Collaboration in the Notes app refers to the ability to share notes with others for joint editing or viewing. The video discusses how users can invite others to collaborate on a note, which is beneficial for working on shared projects or tasks that require input from multiple people.

💡Search functionality

The search functionality within the Notes app allows users to find notes based on keywords, even if the text is within a scanned document attached to a note. The video illustrates the power of this feature by showing how it can locate specific words or phrases across all notes and their attachments, making it easier to find and reference information.

Highlights

The best notes app might already be on your phone, such as the built-in Notes app for iPhone users.

The speaker initially used Notes but explored alternatives like Evernote and Notion before returning to the Notes app for personal use.

Notion is still used for work-related tasks, demonstrating the app's utility for specific contexts.

The Notes app offers various features to maximize its utility, including organizing notes into folders.

Users can create an unlimited number of folders and even share notes with others.

A Smart Folder can be created with specific conditions to automatically organize notes based on criteria like tags, creation date, and more.

Adding tags to notes is a way to categorize them, which can be particularly useful for organizing recipes or other categorized information.

The ability to create folders within folders allows for a deeper level of organization.

Notes can be formatted with titles, headings, and various text styles, including bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough.

The checklist feature is useful for creating shopping lists or to-do lists.

The scanning tool within Notes allows users to scan documents directly into the app, which can be particularly handy for ID or passport scans.

Scanned documents can be shared directly from the Notes app, facilitating easy document sharing.

The pen tool in Notes allows for drawing and shape recognition, which can be used for marking up documents.

A quick note button can be added to the Control Centre for rapid note-taking without opening the app.

Sensitive notes can be secured with Face ID, adding an extra layer of privacy.

Notes can be shared and collaborated on with other iPhone users who have the Notes app.

Pinning a note to the top of the list ensures quick access to frequently used notes.

Swiping gestures on notes allow for quick actions such as pinning, sharing, organizing, or deleting.

The Notes app has a search function that can find text within scanned documents, making it easy to locate specific information.

The video concludes by encouraging viewers to make full use of the Notes app's capabilities, highlighting its potential as a comprehensive notes solution.