Inline audio recordings and mathematical notations are reportedly coming to the iOS 18 Notes app.
TL;DR: iOS 18 Notes App
- Notes app upgrades: The iOS 18 Notes app is set to gain two new major features. 📒
- In-line audio recordings: The notes app will let users record audio directly into a note. 🎤
- Math notations: The Notes app is also set to gain new mathematic notation functions. ➗
- Release date: iOS 18 will be previewed in June with a public launch in September. 📆
We are less than two months away from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the annual event where Apple previews the latest versions of the various operating systems for their devices.
WWDC24 is expected to see the reveal of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS 15, visionOS 2, and more. And as the date approaches, more and more information is leaking out about some of the upgrades we can expect with the release of the next iPhone operating system, iOS 18.
The latest report is from AppleInsider, which has some exciting news about the Notes app—one of the most useful productivity apps on the iPhone. As AppleInsider reports:
“Among its new features will be audio recording support built in at the application level, similar to integrated Voice Memos, according to people familiar with the matter. The feature is currently under development for iOS 18 and macOS 15 and should ultimately make its way to the new version of iPadOS as well.
“We were told that early pre-release versions of the operating systems also make reference to a new feature dubbed “Math Notes” that will allow the new versions of Notes to leverage and communicate with Apple’s Calculator application.
“The new in-app audio recording feature will let users record, save, and play audio recordings directly from the Notes app.”
AppleInsider
The audio recording in Notes makes a lot of sense as the Notes app in recent years has morphed from being a primarily text-based app to being an app that can house all sorts of media and content inside a note.
For a while now people have been able to drag a Voice Memo from the dedicated app inside of a note, but the new built-in audio recording function will be a much faster and more efficient way to add audio recordings to a note since you won’t need to jump between apps to do so.
As for the second major feature AppleInsider reported on—the mathematical notation functions—it’s likely to appeal to fewer people than the audio recording function. However, for those who work in the science and technology fields, and for students, the feature could be a godsend.
This feature is reportedly named “Math Notes” inside Apple.
“The feature is said to leverage connectivity with the company’s Calculator app, allowing users to integrate information from Calculator within the Notes app,” AppleInsider reported. “Though it remains incomplete at press time, the update is likely to usher in support for displaying proper mathematic notation, an essential shorthand for academic, science, and engineering applications.”
And for iPad users, this feature is likely to come with another benefit—a native Calculator app for iPad for the first time ever.
Besides the above improvements to notes, iOS 18 is expected to include a glut of enhancements including a revamped home screen that allows for spacing between icons, a chatbot powered by OpenAI or Google, and topographical maps in the Maps app.
And these likely aren’t the only major new features coming to iOS 18.
Apple is expected to preview iOS 18 at the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, which takes place on June 10, 2024.
