Notes

The Apple Notes app is a convenient way to keep track of lists, ideas, and more. You can choose to start a new note from your Lock screen every time you need to jot something down, or to continue with the last note you were working on. We've already shown you how to write a note directly from your iPhone's Lock screen, and how to organize your notes by transferring them to a folder. Now, let's learn how to set whether to continue a previous note or start a new note when opening Notes from your Lock screen. 

Forget package tracking apps! Did you know you can track shipments on your iPhone without ever leaving the app in which you received the tracking number? If you’re worried about porch pirates, one of the best security measures is knowing when a package is supposed to arrive. Your iPhone will automatically detect tracking any tracking number that you receive in Mail or Messages. You can also use the same method to track packages from websites like Amazon by copying and pasting the tracking number into Notes. For an extra layer of security, you can add a unique passcode to Notes. With this tip, you’ll be able to set up tracking from any carrier. Let’s dive in to how to use iPhone package tracking.

Being able to make hands-free calls and send texts can come in handy when you're trying to keep your eyes on the road. Siri is a common method for dictating texts, but Siri can't function properly when you've got spotty cell reception. Luckily, you can still dictate texts in Messages even if Siri is offline. You can even use this method to make corrections and edit out mistakes. Let's dive in with how to dictate and edit texts on your iPhone without Siri.

The new folder-sharing feature available with iOS 13 is a great collaboration tool for those who've long enjoyed the convenience of the Notes app, as well as those using it for the first time. We've already covered how to move a note into a folder in the Notes app, so now let's go over how to invite one or more people to a shared Notes folder on your iPhone or iPad. 

For an extra layer of protection when using the Notes app, Apple now allows you to create a unique password for each of your Notes accounts, whether that's iCloud, On iPhone or On iPad, or an email-associated account. Before iOS 13, when you locked a note with a passcword for the first time, that password became the password for locking notes in all your Notes app accounts. You can now create a unique password for a Notes account by going to Notes in the Settings app and selecting Password. 

If you’ve forgotten your Notes password, then you’ll need to reset your password in order to lock your notes. To reset your Notes password, you’ll need to navigate to the Notes section of the Settings app and log in with your Apple ID. This is also how you change a Notes app password that you already know. Read on to learn how to reset a forgotten Notes password.

Want to know the quickest way to transfer photos and scan documents from your iPhone to your Mac? Here's how to use the Continuity Camera feature on the Mac, which enables you to scan documents or take photos on your iPhone and instantly have them uploaded on your Mac. Your Mac needs to be updated to macOS 10.14 or later and your iPhone to iOS 12 or later. You won't have to use AirDrop or have your device physically connected to the Mac with a cable for this tip. However, both your iPhone and Mac do need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network with Bluetooth enabled and be near each other (like in the same room). Both Mac and the iPhone will also need to be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID using two-factor authentication.

The Apple Pencil is seen by many iPad users as a stylus (much to Jony Ive's annoyance), but its main use is as a tool for markups and creative projects in apps like Procreate or something more simple like Notes. Here are some quick tips for drawing with the Apple Pencil including adjusting opacity and line thickness, shading with the side of the Pencil's nib, erasing, and using the Apple Pencil 2's double tap feature to switch between tools. While there is some overlap with the basics functions of both a regular pencil and an Apple Pencil, you'll find the Apple Pencil has potential to unlock a digital flood of creative possibilties and may help with an artist block or two.

The Notes app is a convenient tool for everything from planning projects to writing down random thoughts to explore later. What I like about the Notes app is the ability group related notes by putting them in folders. Sometimes I'll make a note and later realize it's in the wrong folder. Other times I won't put the note in a folder and it will end up in the general Notes folder by default. The Notes app has a simple way to move a note from one folder into another, or to start a new folder entirely. 

Need iPad and iPhone help? Sign up for iPhone Life Insider and Sarah will help you with all your iPhone troubleshooting and iOS-related issues. To learn more go to iPhoneLife.com/Insider. In this Hey Sarah column, one Insider wants to know how to change the default greeting on their iPhone's voicemail. Other questions include how to view more than the current month on Apple Watch and how to sort notes in the Notes app alphabetically.

Here's a time-saving feature to boost your productivity: Lock Screen apps. You can open the Notes app directly from the Lock Screen of your iPhone. Lock Screen Notes are helpful for quickly marking down all the notes, checklists, links, and sketches that you want to have close at hand, without having to unlock your device. Let's get started learning how to add Lock Screen Notes to your iPhone so you can master this feature. 

When you want lines to draw within or a grid to help you stay on track, you can choose a one-time paper style or set up a default paper style to automatically appear in your Notes. To change the style of paper to a lined or grid pattern in the Notes app, tap on the export icon and select Lines & Grids to open the style sheet. When you type, the paper style disappears in that part of the tip; but for drawing by hand in the Notes app, choosing the paper style can make a big difference. Here’s how to change the paper style in Notes on the iPhone.

Before iOS 11, the only way to lock a note in the Notes app was to tap the Share icon and select Lock Note. Now you can quickly and easily lock any note in the Notes app by swiping on it. This shortcut means you don’t even need to open a note to lock it, and it makes the whole process a lot smoother. Here’s how to quickly lock a note on your iPhone.

The Notes app is your handy iPad and iPhone notepad and sketchpad. If you're looking for a drawing app for the iPad, look no further than the built in Notes. You can simply draw right on the note as though it were the paper. Here’s how to add inline drawings to Notes on iPhone.

In Apple's native Notes app for iPhone and iPad, you can designate a note to always appear at the top of your list. This is helpful if there’s a note you consistently refer to, such as the one you use for grocery shopping every week. You can also pin multiple notes to the top of your list. Here’s how to pin a note to the top of your Notes list on the iPhone.

If you enjoy handwriting notes on your device, it’s essential to be able to find what you’re looking for within those notes later on. Previous iterations of the Notes app only allowed you to search for words that were typed. But with iOS 11, the Notes app is capable of searching through your handwritten notes as well. Here’s how to search handwritten words in Notes with iOS 11 on iPhone or iPad.

With each new iOS, Apple improves the once barely adequate Notes app. Now, it’s a bona fide note-taking app with lots of features. With iOS 11, the list of features grows with the ability to add tables to a note now possible. Making a table in the Notes app can be helpful for creating various items. For example, you could use one to keep an easy tally of your expenses. Here’s how to add a table to Notes with iOS 11 on iPhone.

So you want to know how to hide photos and videos on your iPhone, eh? Well, the iPhone allows you to create photo albums, but doesn't really allow you to create a private photo album, even though your photos are technically hidden, but we have some great workarounds to share with you. Hiding pictures on your iPhone within the Photos app has some big loopholes that make it easy for someone to find the photos you mean to keep private. This is why we’ll not only go over how to hide photos with the built-in "private" photo album, but also how to lock photos away on the iPhone so that they are hidden behind a passcode. We consider this the way to really, truly hide photos on your iPhone. For even more security, you can also use an app to hide photos and videos in a secret photo album on your iPhone. We've already gone over how to lock a note in the Notes app on the iPhone, and how to use Incognito mode in Google Maps. Now, here’s how to hide photos on your iPhone by creating a locked photo album or using a "private photo vault" type app.

We’ve covered how to lock notes in the Notes app on iPhone. But what if you want to remove a lock? Perhaps you locked a note for a period of time but no longer need to keep it hidden. How do you get rid of the lock on that note? Luckily, it’s just as easy to remove a lock from a note as it was to add a lock. Here’s how to remove a lock from notes on the iPhone.