# Notely - Notes & PDF app — Handwriting, PDFs & Pencil > Private handwriting, typed notes, PDF annotation, and visual thinking notebook. (iPhone/iPad app by JUSTIN WEI SUN.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notely-notes-and-pdf-app/id6760985471 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [JUSTIN WEI SUN](https://appshunter.io/developer/1874016949) - Category: Productivity - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 17.0 · 9 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-03-24 - Data updated: 2026-08-27 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notely-notes-and-pdf-app/id6760985471/reviews.md ## What is Notely? Notely is a private, flexible notebook for handwriting, typed notes, PDFs, and visual thinking on iPad and iPhone. Write naturally, clean up a page when you choose, and keep your work available without an account or internet connection. TURN HANDWRITING INTO EDITABLE TEXT Tap the handwriting button to convert canvas writing fully on device. Matched pen and pencil strokes become fitted, editable text immediately in one undoable step. Unmatched ink stays on the page, and unreadable handwriting is never removed. You can also scan physical pages or import photos as typed text. DRAW WITH PRECISION Use pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, lasso, shape recognition, and a resizable ruler. Zoom from a full-page overview into extreme detail while curves and typed text stay crisp. Pan with one finger when finger drawing is off. Apple Pencil pressure, hover, double tap, and squeeze are supported on compatible hardware, and smart Pencil gestures are customizable. REAL PAGES OR AN INFINITE CANVAS Add, duplicate, reorder, name, section, bookmark, and delete pages while ink, text, images, and sticky notes move together. Intentional blank pages stay in exports. Prefer open space? Switch to a seamless whiteboard instead. Imported PDF pages remain protected and navigation-only. FIND WHAT YOU WROTE Search titles, typed text, sticky notes, handwriting, images, and PDF text with a private on-device index. Results include highlighted context and page or source details. Unlocked note titles and typed text can also appear in system Spotlight; locked and trashed notes stay excluded. TEXT THAT STAYS TIDY Place and move text boxes with a finger or Apple Pencil. Text boxes fit their contents automatically instead of stretching across the page. Use headings, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, lists, checklists, fonts, sizes, and colors. Resize a block manually whenever you want a fixed layout. ANNOTATE PDFS AND SCANS Import PDFs from Files and mark them up with the same drawing and text tools. Add images, scan physical pages, or recognize text from Photos. Export paged notes as PDF or as individual PNG pages. ORGANIZE A LARGE LIBRARY Use color-coded folders and subfolders, favorites, templates, trash recovery, modified/created/title sorting, grid or list layouts, and multi-select actions. Move, favorite, export, trash, restore, or permanently delete several notes together. New notes open as soon as they are created while the library updates in the background. MOVE BETWEEN IDEAS Keep several notes open, switch between them, close individual notes, or open another existing note without returning to the library. Copy, cut, and paste mixed lasso selections across open notes. Focus Mode hides the interface when you want only the page. PORTABLE, VALIDATED BACKUPS Back up one note, a selection, a folder, or the full library to a portable Notely archive, then restore it additively without overwriting existing notes. Attachments and archive contents are validated before restore. Locked notes are never placed into a portable backup unless you remove their lock first. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Notely works offline and stores notes locally on your device. There is no required account, cloud sync, analytics, or personal-data collection. Lock individual notes with Face ID or a password when you want another layer of privacy. MORE TO EXPLORE - Quick Note and Recent Notes actions in Shortcuts - A configurable Study Buddy widget with quick capture and recent unlocked notes - Drawing replay with speed and timeline controls - Per-orientation toolbar placement with a visible drag handle - A consistent light interface designed around paper and ink - Letter, A4, portrait, landscape, and paper-style defaults Apple Pencil, hover, squeeze, Face ID, camera scanning, Spotlight, and Shortcuts features require compatible hardware and system support. ## Key features - Handwriting to editable text conversion - Precision drawing tools - PDF annotation and markup - Organized library with folders - On-device search - Portable backups ## Frequently asked questions about Notely ### Does Notely have ads? Notely is completely ad-free, allowing for an uninterrupted note-taking and annotation experience. ### What devices is Notely available on? Notely is designed for iPad and iPhone, offering a seamless experience across Apple's mobile devices. ### Can I convert my handwritten notes to typed text in Notely? Yes, Notely features a handwriting conversion tool that transforms your written notes into editable text directly on the device. ### How does Notely handle organization? Notely allows you to organize your work using color-coded folders and subfolders, favorites, and various sorting options for efficient library management. ### Is Notely accessible offline? Notely is designed to keep your work available without an account or internet connection, making it accessible even when offline. ### What are the export options for Notely? You can export your paged notes as a PDF or as individual PNG pages, and also back up your entire library or specific sections. ### How often is Notely updated? The latest version of Notely is 1.3.1, and it was last updated on July 27, 2026, indicating active development and support. ### What is the age rating for Notely? Notely has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.3.1 — 2026-07-27 BUG FIXES - Fixed lasso selection so its outline, hit target, and controls stay accurate at every zoom level - Added a selection toolbar with copy, cut, paste, style, duplicate, mirror, and delete actions - Improved eraser responsiveness in notes with lots of handwriting - Fixed missed eraser contacts between fast Pencil samples - Reduced repeated text layout and canvas geometry work while erasing ### 1.3 — 2026-07-25 Notely 1.3 turns your notes into a private lecture and study workspace while keeping your content on device. PRIVATE LECTURE MEMORY - Start recording from the compact microphone control in the note toolbar - Pause, resume, recover after interruptions, rename, delete, seek, and change playback speed - Revisit supported on-device transcripts that stay synchronized with recording time and written content - Tap transcript text to seek audio and return to the nearby page content - Mark important moments with touch, keyboard, or an optional Apple Pencil squeeze action - Search transcript text and insert selected transcript passages into a page - Share an M4A recording or plain-text transcript separately On-device transcription appears only when the device, system, language, and downloaded speech assets support it. Audio recording remains available without transcription. SOURCE-LINKED STUDY TOOLS - Ask a specific question about one note or selected notes on supported iOS 26 Apple Intelligence devices - Get answers built only from retrieved note evidence, with source chips that reopen the exact page, region, object, transcript, or recording time - See “not found in these notes” when the available evidence cannot support an answer - Review an answer before choosing whether to insert it; generated text never changes a note automatically - Create manual study cards or editable AI card drafts with source-linked answer keys - Review due cards with Again, Hard, Good, and Easy ratings using a deterministic offline schedule - Enable optional offline review reminders - Add nondestructive tape regions to hide and reveal study material - Build a structured outline that uses the same exact source locations FASTER FINDING AND ORGANIZING - Open search matches at the exact page and source location - Browse cached page previews, filter to bookmarked pages, and collapse page sections - Restore open-note tabs after relaunch while automatically excluding missing, locked, or deleted notes - Pin notes, add normalized tags, and save smart collections - Jump into Recent, Unfiled, Review Due, Pinned, and tag-based collections SAFER EXPORTS AND BACKUPS - Export a page range with visible progress and cancellation - Detect low storage before rendering and clean up temporary export files - Preserve recordings, transcripts, and source-linked study state in validated portable archives MORE WAYS TO START - Choose from an expanded offline template catalog for everyday paper, study and review, science and math, creative work, and project planning - Create structured Cornell notes, study guides, flashcard sheets, lab reports, music staff pages, storyboards, planners, and more Also included: smoother two-dimensional canvas navigation, more reliable zoom and lasso movement, alignment guides that clear after dragging, quicker text-box actions, recording and archive hardening, and privacy protections that keep locked or trashed notes out of search, restored tabs, widgets, and study answers. ### 1.2.2 — 2026-07-24 This update builds on version 1.2 with faster handwriting conversion, deeper search, real page organization, stronger library tools, and a friendlier everyday workflow. ONE-TAP HANDWRITING - Convert canvas handwriting directly into editable text - Replace only the pen or pencil strokes matched to recognized lines - Keep unmatched ink untouched - Undo the complete conversion as a single edit REAL PAGE MANAGEMENT - Add pages before or after the current page - Duplicate, reorder, name, section, and bookmark pages - Confirm before deleting a page that contains work - Keep blank pages in PDF and PNG exports - Navigate imported PDF pages without rewriting the source document SEARCH INSIDE YOUR WORK - Search titles, typed text, sticky notes, handwriting, images, and PDFs on device - See highlighted context plus page and source details - Find unlocked notes from private system Spotlight results A STRONGER LIBRARY - Sort by modified date, creation date, or title - Switch between grid and list layouts - Select several notes for move, favorite, export, trash, restore, or permanent deletion - Keep selections active after sharing or changing favorites - See immediate visual feedback for destructive bulk actions - Create validated portable backups for a note, selection, folder, or full library FASTER EDITING - Copy, cut, and paste mixed lasso selections across open notes - Use Focus Mode for a distraction-free canvas - See clear Saving, Saved, and Save Failed status without changing timestamps unnecessarily - Convert handwriting from a dedicated toolbar button - Use larger tool targets and reposition the toolbar with a deliberate hold and drag - Place text boxes with a finger - Pan smoothly and keep curves and text crisp at extreme zoom - See a temporary zoom percentage while pinching - Keep a single page centered when fully zoomed out MORE CONTROL - Customize or disable Apple Pencil double tap and squeeze - Turn finger drawing on or off - Choose global stroke smoothing, paper, page size, and orientation defaults - Keep separate toolbar positions for portrait and landscape - Run Quick Note and Recent Notes from Shortcuts QUICKER EVERYDAY ACTIONS - Open a new note immediately while the library refreshes behind it - Get visible progress when importing notes, PDFs, or photos - Use clearer template controls with single-line button labels - Long-press a library note without enlarging its title and date - Switch between grid and list layouts with a smoother transition STUDY BUDDY - Add a configurable owl, cat, or frog to the Home Screen - Open a quick note and recent unlocked notes from the widget - Choose layouts for small, medium, large, and extra-large widgets Also included: resizable ruler controls, fitted text boxes, reliable note closing, PDF Open In support, consistent Notely branding, and stability improvements throughout. ### 1.2 — 2026-03-30 Drawing in Notely just got a major upgrade. SMOOTHER DRAWING • Predicted touch rendering eliminates pencil-to-screen latency — strokes feel instant • New point smoothing reduces micro-jitter for cleaner, more natural handwriting • No more stroke tails when lifting the Apple Pencil BETTER SHAPE SNAPPING • Circles, rectangles, lines, and parabolas now render with pixel-perfect geometry at every zoom level • Fixed shapes appearing smaller than drawn at extreme zoom • Rectangle corners are now sharp — no more rounded edges after snapping INFINITE ZOOM RANGE • Zoom from 0.001% all the way to 100,000,000% • Draw and snap shapes accurately at any zoom level • Pages stay centered when zooming out STABILITY • Fixed a crash when snapping shapes at extreme zoom levels • Performance improvements across the board ### 1.1 — 2026-03-28 Notely's biggest update yet — rebuilt and packed with new features. NEW TOOLS • Pencil and highlighter tools alongside the original pen • Shape drawing — lines, rectangles, ellipses, and parabolas • Lasso tool to select, move, and manipulate strokes • Partial eraser mode in addition to whole-stroke eraser RICH TEXT EDITING • Full text formatting — bold, italic, underline, strikethrough • Headings, bullet points, numbered lists, and checklists • Font picker with adjustable size and color STICKY NOTES • Drop floating sticky notes on any canvas with custom colors DRAWING REPLAY • Watch your work play back stroke by stroke with speed control and timeline scrubbing ORGANIZATION • Color-coded folders and nested subfolders replace basic subjects • Favorites for quick access to your most-used notes • Trash with note recovery • Search across your entire library • Multi-tab editing — work on several notes at once SECURITY • Lock individual notes with Face ID or a password MORE • Image insertion and positioning • Letter, A4, and custom page sizes in portrait or landscape • Moveable toolbar (left, right, top, bottom) • Apple Pencil squeeze to toggle eraser • Adjustable stroke smoothing • Performance and stability improvements ## More apps by JUSTIN WEI SUN - [Atomiqa](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/atomiqa/id6758624918) - [DrawRing: Chain Drawing](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drawring-chain-drawing/id6758647544) - [Fauna: Daily Animal Widget](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fauna-daily-animal-widget/id6758877671) - [LTI - Last Time I...](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lti-last-time-i/id6758901711) - [PocketPal - Pixel Widget](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocketpal-pixel-widget/id6759291488) - [Wrapt - Relive Your Story](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wrapt-relive-your-story/id6759881444) All apps by JUSTIN WEI SUN: https://appshunter.io/developer/1874016949 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*