Apple Notes to support voice memos, mathematical notation in iOS 18

The Notes app in iOS and iPadOS 18 could be in for a couple of big new features, according to a report by AppleInsider. iOS 18 is expected to be revealed at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, which holds its keynote on June 10.

Sources have told AppleInsider that Apple plans to introduce the ability to record, save, and play voice memos into Notes, and the recordings are embedded within the Notes entry. Users can make further notations, either written or with images, within the entry. This could be handy for, say, students attending a lecture, or while participating in a work presentation or meeting.

The user interface for voice memos will resemble that of the iOS Voice Memos app. Voice memos will also be included in iCloud syncs across devices, so they’ll be accessible within macOS 15–macOS 15 is specifically called out, which likely means you need to upgrade for voice memos to properly sync. However, the report doesn’t state how many of these new features will be introduced at the same time as iOS 18; Apple sometimes introduces new iOS features first and then brings them to macOS at a later time.

The other new feature is called “Math Notes,” which AppleInsider says is “support for displaying proper mathematic notation.” It could integrate with the iOS Calculator app, but the feature is still a work in progress.

The two new features are efforts by Apple to better compete with Microsoft OneNote, a popular notes app and part of the Office365 suite. One distinct advantage OneNote has is its ability to sync between Windows, Mac, and iPhone/iPad through OneDrive. Apple Notes doesn’t have a Windows app, though Notes can be accessed on the web through iCloud.com.

The report, however, doesn’t state how much functionality of the new features will be available in Notes on iCloud.com. It would seem that the voice recording feature would not be available, but playback could be. With Math Notes, it’s not known if the Calculator tie-in would be accessible.

Learn more about the upcoming iOS 18, as well as WWDC24.