In iOS 18, Apple will add several handy new features to the iPhone’s Notes app. These upgrades will help you take better, easier-to-understand notes while significantly speeding up the entire process of taking those notes.
AI-powered summaries are designed to make reviewing long notes easier, while Smart Script helps make handwritten notes readable. Below are the most important new features coming to the Notes app this year.
New features in Apple’s Notes app in iOS 18
You probably use the Notes app on your iPhone several times a day, so it’s important that Apple continues to improve it with each new iOS version. In iOS 18 (and iPadOS 18), Apple is adding several new features to the Notes app to help you quickly jot down your ideas. And if you’re taking long notes, features like collapsible sections and support for highlighting using text colors make it easier to get through them.
Note: iOS 18 is now available in public beta. Apple should release the final version next month along with the iPhone 16 lineup.
Table of Contents: 8 great new features of the Notes app in iOS 18
- Audio transcripts
- Hideable sections
- Built-in calculator
- Mathematical Notes
- Highlight text with color
- Intelligent script
- Easier file attachments
- Save call recordings
1. Audio transcripts in Apple’s Notes app
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
In iOS 18, you can record audio directly from the Notes app. More importantly, the app can transcribe and summarize the audio using Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI suite of features.
When you stop recording, the Notes app will show a preview of the transcript below the audio note. Tapping it will open the recording and the full transcript, which you can manually add to the note, copy, etc. To view a live transcription while recording audio, tap the citation button on the recording screen.
You can save the audio clip using the Files app or share it directly with others. Once Apple Intelligence is introduced, you’ll be able to create an AI-powered summary of long audio notes.
Note: Live audio transcriptions will only be available for iPhone 12 and newer devices, although some older iPhones can run iOS 18.
2. Hideable sections make it easier to read long notes
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
You could already add headings to notes in the iPhone’s Notes app. With iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, Apple is improving headings by making them collapsible. This is useful for particularly long notes, as headings allow you to hide the wall of text for better readability.
3. Integrated calculator in the Apple Notes app
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
In iOS 18, Apple’s Notes app includes basic Excel and calculator features. You can paste formulas and common math symbols into your notes and the app will solve them instantly. So if you use the Notes app a lot to track your expenses, it will automatically calculate the total amount.
4. Math notes in Apple’s Notes app for the iPad
Apple is adding support for Math Notes to the Notes app in iPadOS 18. It’s like having a built-in scientific calculator in the Notes app that can help you solve your homework. In addition, it can evaluate expressions, draw graphs, etc. when you use an Apple Pencil or keyboard.
Note: Math Notes only works with Western Arabic numerals and common math symbols.
5. Highlight text in Apple Notes in iOS 18 with color
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
Apple’s Notes app in iOS 18 lets you color-highlight text to make the words stand out. This simple addition should make going through large notes easier, as you can highlight important items so they stand out. You can access the color options by tapping the Aa icon in the toolbar and then use the color picker to select one of the five color options. You can also format and highlight text in bold, italic, or strikethrough.
6. Smart Script in iPad notes for better readability
Do you often use the Notes app and Apple Pencil to jot things down? In iPadOS 18, the Notes app adds Smart Script, which uses machine learning to smooth out your handwriting style and make it more readable. You can also scratch on the writing to remove it.
Note: Smart Script is exclusive to iPadOS 18. It is available on iPad (10th generation), iPad mini (6th generation), iPad (4th generation), and iPad Pro (3rd generation) and later.
7. Easier file attachments in Apple’s Notes app
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
A small tweak in Apple’s Notes app in iOS 18 makes it easy to attach files to your notes. While you could previously attach files and other documents, the process was cumbersome and required pasting them directly into the note. In iOS 18, you can access a new Attach files Option by tapping the Paperclip symbol from the toolbar within a note. From there, you can select the file to be attached using the document selector that opens. Alternatively, you can click on the Attach file from the Three-point menu in the upper right corner of a note.
8. Save call recordings
iOS 18 introduces support for call recording on iPhone, which offers tight integration with the Notes app. Every time you record a call, your iPhone saves the voice recording and transcript in the Notes app in the Call Recordings folder.
Other new features in iOS 18
In addition to the Notes app, Apple is adding some notable new features to Messages in iOS 18. Apple’s web browser Safari is also getting handy upgrades like distraction control and AI-powered summaries.
