I made this for myself since all the notes apps were overly complex and didn’t support the important things I wanted - e.g, treating URLs as first class citizens, custom reminders, or easy sharing.
I’ve heard from others that they have similar needs too, and complexity and overhead of note taking apps is one reason they don’t use them much.
Just a heads up: on the search screen, there's a segmented control to filter results. On my iPhone 11 running iOS 13, it looks very out of place. It also doesn't look like the screenshots on the App Store.
- currently requires Google login (but that was only because I wanted to get something out the door quickly). I'm considering implementing other login providers and also device-only notes if there is enough interest. I know there are legitimate concerns around this topic: I'm not tied to the login mechanism per se.
I also use #tags there and everywhere in other chats, because telegram can quickly search and go to these locations. E.g. after discussing some site, address or credentials in some chat, I reply to the specific message with like "#password router office" right in the chat. And then in the chat list there is a magnifying glass button, where you just type # and then can choose out of any #tag you ever used (#password), and then it shows all locations where it was used, with a context (#password router office, #password wifi home, etc). That doesn't work for secret chats though, afaik, but maybe it is a feature.
Tagging is different from forwarding in obvious ways (one can delete chats, modify messages, etc), but sometimes it is even more convenient than clumping up your Saved Messages. Tags may be used there as well, obviously.
There is another method, somewhat abusive to telegram, but it doesn't seem to care. For a specific topic, you can easily create a bot with a unique name and just chat with them. It is okay if bot doesn't actually have a backend and doesn't read your messages. Also bot API is so easy to use, so that if you're a developer and have a personal vps or "underbed server", you can connect yourself to a database of any flavor you could imagine. Telegram really shines here, and an entire $subj functionality may be implemented as such bot (which maybe is a great opportunity to promote and integrate your app further, $author).
Rather than creating bots, you can also create private channels (of which you are the only member) for each topic and send/fwd stuff there. Essentially having multiple "Saved messages" with different names. If you don't want to see them on your chatlist you can drop them all in a folder too.
I miss "Saved Messages" from Telegram in the Element (formerly Riot) chat app. In Element it is also possible to create a private room with access limited to only me but in Telegram it feels so natural to send text and links to myself (even in way, way older versions of the app).
Surprised Apple let you publish this with only the option to sign in with a google account and not let you use any functionality until you do. I would also prefer to not sync yet more stuff with Google. Otherwise, seems pretty handy, I'll check it out.
Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like google login is an area of concern for many. I'm considering other login providers too, would love to know what you prefer (device-only notes, or synced with a separate account or a different provider).
In case anyone isn't aware, the trick is to create a group with any contact and then remove them. Mine is pinned to the top and named Notes - and unfortunately is the most robust way to share images and notes from desktop to Android (I tried Pusbullet and Join too)
Another option that’s cleaner imo is to literally start a chat with yourself as OP mentioned. Simply navigate to this URL on your phone https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=$1
Replace $1 with your phone number including country code but without a + sign.
People sending themselves emails or whatsapp messages was certainly one motivation for the interface. I personally also wanted a) reminders associated with notes, and b) simple lists so I don't have to use separate apps for different types of notes.
I'm using "Saved Messages" in Telegram and it does most of that stuff.
I store text, files, links, videos and I even use it to send this from my PC to my phone or vice versa.
I also have several channels with bots like grocery list, reminders, etc. And I can make my own bots that connect to almost any service I want. I started using Telegram as an alternative to Whatsapp and now I'm using it even as my own personal "Jarvis". I still haven't developed all the stuff I want to a fully functional personal manager but the possibilities are endless.
This app looks cool. Simple and straightforward, which is something I always look up to but in this scenario I think we (at least I) need something more, to be able to make it talk to other services.
Feels weird. I often send a message to myself using Facebook Messenger in order to take a quick note. I do this because I can easily access it on any device and I generally have the Messenger opened in the background.
I'm not sure if I want to have filtering and searching in a chat style note taking app. I don't care for organization of those quick, ad-hoc notes with short lifespan. If I want something persisted, I'll probably use a more dedicated, organized place.
I like the idea. Seems like a good way to outline blog posts and whatnot. A few requests: allow for images and other attachments, include a dark mode, and charge something so it's sustainable and worth maintaining and improving.
Thanks for the feedback! Images and other attachments are supported already.
Dark mode is on my list of things to do. Charging is too :) I wanted to make sure it is useful for folks so I can dedicate time to development and make it sustainable by charging.
Solid idea, even better execution. Impressed you did apps on both major platforms
Only think it needs to replace me sending to slack or other note app is some way to get it on my computer. Maybe that’s an ifttt connector or something.
It just looks like WhatsApp – why not use that instead?
For those who miss the "Saved Messages" thing from Telegram: You make a group and kick out everybody. Then you are in a group – alone. Now stick it to the top of WA and voilá! There you have your simple notes :)
Great thing, since you can access it with your PC via web.whatsapp.com.
This is exactly what I have been looking for, few questions
- why does it need login?
- what does it do with my data?
- does the data live on phone or on your servers?
- is it possible to export all the data somewhere?
Thank you. Requires login since data is backed up on the server. Export is a good idea and something I've been planning to add - perhaps Google Drive or a simple file to download.
Very cool! I have started to build something a little similar but this looks pretty polished! Do you have any API? I would love to pull some of the data out
I wanted login to be able to backup notes to the cloud. Would you want something to keep data just on the phone, or login with a different provider? That is to say: I'm considering other login providers and also just local on-device notes if there is enough interest.
Thanks for the feedback and definitely interested in understanding your requirements better.
Also love the idea, and required Google sign-in is a dealbreaker for me too. I’d love it I could save notes in iCloud, but I’d be fine just keeping them local if you don’t want to maintain multiple login/sync providers.
I’ve heard from others that they have similar needs too, and complexity and overhead of note taking apps is one reason they don’t use them much.