Samsung Notes () is a

note-taking Note-taking (sometimes written as notetaking or note taking) is the practice of recording information from different sources and platforms. By taking notes, the writer records the essence of the information, freeing their mind from having to rec ...

application Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

developed by the South Korean company

Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, a ...

. It allows the writing of digital and handwritten notes with embedded photos and audio, as well as sketching and drawing, and reading and annotating PDF documents. It is available for Samsung devices running

Android Android may refer to: Science and technology * Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system ** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...

and Microsoft Windows, and is distributed on the Galaxy Store,

Google Play Store Google Play, also known as the Google Play Store and formerly the Android Market, is a digital distribution service operated and developed by Google. It serves as the official app store for certified devices running on the Android operating sy ...

and

Microsoft Store Microsoft Store (formerly known as Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It started as an app store for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform ...

History

Samsung Notes was launched in 2016 as a single replacement of several older memo and illustration apps on

Galaxy Note The Samsung Galaxy Note series is a discontinued line of high-end Android phablets and smartphones developed and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The line is primarily oriented towards pen computing; all Galaxy Note models ship with a stylu ...

devices: namely S Note, Scrapbook, Memo, and Action Memo. On October 3, 2023, it was revealed that Samsung Notes will forcibly stop working on Windows devices unless it is a Samsung Galaxy Book.

Features

Samsung Notes features handwriting to text conversion, note tagging, and sharing in PDF,

Microsoft Word Microsoft Word is a word processing software developed by Microsoft. It was first released on October 25, 1983, under the name ''Multi-Tool Word'' for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms includi ...

Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program, created by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin at a software company named Forethought, Inc. It was released on April 20, 1987, initially for Macintosh computers only. Microsoft acquired PowerPoi ...

and image files. PDF importing and annotating, as well as importing sound recordings (''Audio Bookmark'') were introduced with the

One UI One UI is a user interface developed by Samsung Electronics for its Android devices running Android 9 "Pie" and later. Succeeding Samsung Experience and TouchWiz, it is designed to make using larger smartphones easier and be more visually appe ...

2.5 update. Shared Notebooks in Samsung Notes can be shared with others in a user's contactbook or using a direct URL; the recipients are also able to modify and collaborate on a Shared Notebook. Live collaboration between multiple users was added in One UI 5.1. The software also allows securing a note or document using a password or fingerprint. Using the screen off memo feature, users can write using an

S Pen Samsung Galaxy (, stylised as SΛMSUNG Galaxy since 2015 (except Japan where it omits the Samsung branding), previously stylised as Samsung GALAXY; abbreviated as SG) is a series of computing and mobile computing devices that are designed, m ...

without turning the device screen on, which is then saved onto Samsung Notes.

Synchronisation

Notes content are synchronised automatically with the

cloud In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may ...

, i.e. Samsung Cloud. Since 2020, Samsung Notes can also be synchronised with Microsoft OneNote so that they can be viewed on PCs.

Related utilities

The Samsung Notes Viewer is a tool specifically for viewing Notes files. Samsung also offer an app called Write on PDF, for annotating PDF documents.

Reception

Lifewire Lifewire is a technology information and advice website. The website's owner is Dotdash Meredith, originally About.com, which launched Lifewire in 2016 as one of its spin-off vertical sites. As of April 2022, it had a global website ranking of ...

called Samsung Notes "a repository for all notes, in any form", and listed its synchronisation as a positive point. It listed the lack of home screen shortcuts as a disadvantage, as well as the fact access to secured notes are denied temporarily when inputting a wrong password. The website ''MakeUseOf'' commented that it "stands out among Android note-taking apps, and its Windows version is equally impressive". However it criticised the fact it is only available for Samsung Windows devices.

TechRadar ''TechRadar'' is an online publication owned by Future and focused on technology. It has editorial teams in the US, UK and Australia and provides news and reviews of tech products and gadgets. It was launched in 2007 and expanded to the US in ...

's Brian Turner felt that Samsung Notes was "as much as an all-purpose sketchbook as a notepad." depending on purpose. In a 2020 review of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, David Phelan of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine commented that "in Samsung Notes it has the best app the company has built."

References