You’re using Apple Notes wrong

Oliur / UltraLinx
21 Jun 202309:01

TLDRThis video highlights the often-overlooked capabilities of the Apple Notes app, encouraging users to maximize its potential. It covers organizing notes with folders and tags, creating Smart Folders, adding tables and checklists, and using the scanning tool for documents. The presenter also demonstrates how to lock notes with Face ID, share and collaborate on notes, and use the Quick Note feature in the Control Centre. The video concludes by praising the app's ability to search text within scanned documents, emphasizing the app's efficiency and convenience.

Takeaways

  • 📱 The best notes app might already be on your phone, like the built-in Notes app on iPhones.
  • 🔍 You can organize notes into folders, and even create Smart Folders with specific conditions.
  • 🏷️ Adding tags to notes helps categorize and automatically organize them into folders.
  • 📑 Notes can be formatted with titles, headings, and various styles, making them more legible.
  • 📋 Checklists can be added to notes for tasks like grocery shopping, helping with organization.
  • 📷 The scanning tool in Notes is useful for digitizing documents, like IDs or passports.
  • 🖌️ The pen tool in Notes allows for drawing and automatically perfecting shapes, useful for marking documents.
  • 🔒 Notes can be secured with Face ID for privacy, especially for sensitive information.
  • 🔗 Notes can be shared and collaborated on with others, enhancing teamwork and communication.
  • 📌 Pinning a note to the top of the list makes frequently accessed notes easily accessible.
  • 🔍 The search feature in Notes can find text within scanned documents, making it a powerful tool for document management.

Q & A

  • Why does the speaker suggest that the Apple Notes app might be the best for most people?

    -The speaker suggests that the Apple Notes app might be the best for most people because it is already built into their phones, and they have likely already built a system around it. It is convenient and has many features that can meet most users' needs.

  • What is a 'Smart Folder' in the context of the Apple Notes app?

    -A 'Smart Folder' in the Apple Notes app is a folder that automatically organizes notes based on specific conditions or tags set by the user, such as date created, tags, or other criteria, making it easier to find and manage notes.

  • How can users categorize their notes in the Apple Notes app?

    -Users can categorize their notes in the Apple Notes app by adding tags to them. For example, by adding a hashtag like '#recipe' to a note, all notes with that tag can be automatically organized into a folder.

  • What is the purpose of the scanning tool in the Apple Notes app?

    -The scanning tool in the Apple Notes app allows users to scan physical documents and save them as digital copies directly into their notes. This is useful for digitizing important documents like driver's licenses or passports.

  • How can users add a table to a note in the Apple Notes app?

    -Users can add a table to a note in the Apple Notes app by selecting the 'table' tool from the options at the bottom of the note. They can then customize the table by adding rows and columns as needed.

  • What is the checklist feature in the Apple Notes app used for?

    -The checklist feature in the Apple Notes app is used for creating lists of items or tasks to be completed. It helps users keep track of their to-do lists, shopping lists, or any other sequential tasks.

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

    -Users can quickly add a note without opening the Notes app by adding a 'Quick Note' button to the Control Centre on their iPhone. This allows them to access a note-taking interface directly from the Control Centre.

  • What security feature does the Apple Notes app offer for notes containing sensitive information?

    -The Apple Notes app offers a security feature that allows users to lock notes containing sensitive information with Face ID, ensuring that only the authorized user can access the note's content.

  • How can users share notes with others using the Apple Notes app?

    -Users can share notes with others by using the 'share' icon at the top of the note. They can choose to send a copy or collaborate, allowing others to view or edit the note as needed.

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

    -Pinning a note in the Apple Notes app keeps the note at the top of the list, making it easily accessible for users who frequently need to refer to a specific note.

  • How can users search for text within scanned documents in the Apple Notes app?

    -Users can search for text within scanned documents in the Apple Notes app by using the search function. The app will find the note containing the scanned document and highlight the text within the document.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Discovering the Full Potential of the iPhone Notes App

This paragraph introduces the speaker's perspective on the best notes app, arguing that the built-in Notes app on an iPhone is often the most effective for personal use. The speaker shares their experience with other note-taking apps like Evernote and Notion, but ultimately prefers the simplicity and functionality of the native iPhone Notes app. The focus is on maximizing the use of the Notes app, exploring its features such as folders, tags, and smart folders. The speaker also highlights the ability to add tags to notes for better organization and the convenience of creating smart folders based on specific conditions like tags, date, and attachments.

05:00

🔍 Advanced Features of the iPhone Notes App

In this paragraph, the speaker delves deeper into the advanced features of the iPhone Notes app. They discuss the ability to add tables for better organization, format text with various styles like bold, italic, and bullet points, and create checklists for tasks. The speaker also highlights the scanning tool, which allows users to scan documents directly into notes, and the drawing tool that can recognize and perfect shapes. Additional features include the quick note button in the Control Centre, note locking with Face ID for security, and the ability to share notes for collaboration. The speaker also mentions the convenience of pinning notes for easy access and the ability to swipe on notes for quick actions like pinning, sharing, and deleting. Finally, they discuss the powerful search feature that can find text within scanned documents.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Notes app

The Notes app is a pre-installed application on Apple devices that allows users to create, edit, and organize text-based notes. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that the Notes app on the iPhone is likely the best notes app one already has, suggesting that people often overlook its capabilities in favor of more complex alternatives like Evernote and Notion.

💡Productivity app

A productivity app is a software tool designed to help users manage their tasks and increase efficiency. The script mentions that people often search for the best productivity app, but the speaker argues that the built-in Notes app on an iPhone can serve this purpose effectively.

💡Folders

In the context of the Notes app, folders are used to organize notes into categories. The video demonstrates how to create folders and subfolders, which is essential for managing a large number of notes and keeping them organized.

💡Smart Folder

A Smart Folder in the Notes app is a dynamic collection of notes that meet specific criteria set by the user, such as tags, creation date, or whether they contain checklists. The script explains how to create a Smart Folder and highlights its usefulness in automatically organizing notes.

💡Tags

Tags are labels used to categorize notes within the Notes app. The video script reveals that users can add tags like '#recipe' to notes, which can then be used to create Smart Folders that automatically group related notes together.

💡Table

The Notes app allows users to insert tables, which are grids used to organize information in a structured format. The script provides an example of creating a table with rows and columns to note the cost of a trip to Iceland, demonstrating the app's utility for organizing data.

💡Formatting

Formatting in the Notes app refers to the process of changing the appearance of text, such as making it bold, italic, or underlined. The video script describes various formatting options available in the app, which help in enhancing the readability and presentation of notes.

💡Checklist

A checklist in the Notes app is a tool for creating lists of items to be completed, often used for tasks or shopping lists. The script illustrates how to add items to a checklist and how this feature can be used for grocery shopping.

💡Scanning tool

The scanning tool within the Notes app enables users to scan physical documents and save them as digital files within a note. The video demonstrates how to use this feature to scan a document and add it to a note, which is particularly useful for digitizing important papers like IDs or passports.

💡Pen tool

The pen tool in the Notes app allows users to draw or write directly on the screen. The script mentions a unique feature of the pen tool that can recognize and perfect rough shapes drawn by the user, such as turning a hand-drawn square into a perfectly formed one.

💡Quick Note

Quick Note is a feature that enables users to add notes directly from the Control Centre on an iPhone without opening the Notes app. The video script explains how to enable this feature for便捷 access to note-taking, which can be beneficial for jotting down thoughts or ideas quickly.

💡Locking notes

The Notes app provides an option to lock notes that contain sensitive information using Face ID or a passcode. The script describes the process of locking a note for security purposes and accessing it later with authentication.

💡Sharing notes

Sharing notes in the Notes app allows users to collaborate with others or send copies of their notes. The video script explains how to share notes with other iPhone users who have the Notes app, facilitating collaboration and information exchange.

💡Pinning notes

Pinning a note in the Notes app moves it to the top of the list, making it easily accessible. The script mentions how to pin a note for quick access, which is useful for frequently referenced notes.

💡Swipe actions

Swipe actions in the Notes app enable users to perform quick tasks like pinning, sharing, organizing, or deleting notes with a simple swipe gesture. The video script demonstrates how to use swipe actions for efficient note management.

💡Search within documents

The Notes app allows users to search for text within scanned documents attached to a note. The script illustrates how this feature can be used to find a specific word or phrase within a document, showcasing the app's advanced search capabilities.

Highlights

The best notes app might already be on your phone.

The built-in Notes app on the iPhone is highly recommended for personal use.

Notion is still used for work-related tasks, but for personal notes, the iPhone's Notes app is preferred.

The Notes app offers various features to maximize its use.

Folders in the Notes app can be customized with an unlimited number.

Shared notes can be viewed alongside personal folders.

Creating a new folder or a Smart Folder is straightforward.

Smart Folders allow for conditional organization based on tags, creation or edit dates, and more.

Notes can be tagged for easy categorization and retrieval.

Nested folders can be created for an additional layer of organization.

The Notes app includes a table creation tool for structured note-taking.

Text formatting options enhance the readability of notes.

Checklists can be added to notes for task management.

The built-in scanning tool in Notes is useful for digitizing documents.

Scanned documents can be searched for text within them.

The pen tool in Notes allows for drawing and shape recognition.

A Quick Note button can be added to the Control Centre for instant note-taking.

Notes with sensitive information can be secured with Face ID.

Notes can be shared and collaborated on with other iPhone users.

Pinning a note keeps it easily accessible at the top of the list.

Swiping on notes allows for quick actions like pinning, sharing, organizing, or deleting.

The video concludes by emphasizing the comprehensive capabilities of the Notes app.