In terms of number of changes, Notes in iOS 15 is lighter than the other built-in apps in Apple's upcoming software update; Safari gets a whole new look (which can be disabled if you don't mind where Apple has moved the tab bar); Maps seeing so many updates and enhancements in iOS 15 In contrast, the changes in Notes can be counted on one hand

But don't confuse quantity with quality: while the number of changes in Notes may not be that many, there were some important new organizational features The end result is a better tool for jotting down ideas, lists, and research

And even if it's just for making grocery lists or taking notes during meetings, you may still use Notes Other iPhone users have made Notes their de facto writing tool, and Apple has been helping them for years by adding the ability to change formatting, insert photos, and create sketches within individual Notes every time iOS is updated, productivity It seems that every time iOS is updated, one or two new features are added that improve productivity

iOS 15 continues that trend by adding tools to better organize your notes iOS 15 also adds more depth to the shared notes feature inherited from previous Notes releases Here we take a closer look at the new Notes features in iOS 15 using the version of the app included in the iOS 15 public beta

Until iOS 15, the Notes organizer started and ended with folders However, the iOS 15 update adds a new tool aimed at helping you find specific notes much easier: tags

This feature is exactly what it sounds like When you tag an article with a keyword, all notes with the same tag are grouped together; if you've ever used Twitter or Instagram, you're familiar with how tags work Just add the hashtag symbol (#) followed by the keyword of your choice I tag grocery lists and recipe notes with "#groceries" and the planning document for my podcast with "#magnum"

If you're using notes for iPadOS 15 with the Apple Pencil, there's an even cooler trick Simply draw a hashtag and write a keyword next to it, and the app will give you the option to convert that handwritten tag into text

Tags are pretty useless without an easily accessible place to access them, and Apple provides that on the iOS Notes folder page: under the Notes stored in iCloud, iPhone, or elsewhere (Gmail in my case) section, there is a Tags section Tapping a tag in this tag browser takes you to a new screen that lists all related notes [Tapping a tag in this tag browser takes you to a new screen that lists all related notes On the page of notes that share a common tag, a band of additional tags will appear at the top of the screen Tapping on another tag will narrow the list of notes that contain both of the tags you are searching for

As with the other new features, a major challenge with tags will be remembering to add tags to notes to better organize them We would also like to be able to color coordinate tags However, as a first addition to Notes, I like it so far

There is one other tag-related addition to Notes in iOS15, and that concerns smart folders: when you create a new folder, whether on iCloud or on the iPhone itself, you have the option to create a smart folder

Smart folders allow you to specify which tags to display in that collection If you create a folder that looks for multiple tags, the smart folder will only show notes that contain those tags This is a great way to organize notes about a particular project or trip

Sharing notes with others is a time-honored practice if you are a Power Notes user It is a great way to share information with family members, colleagues, or anyone else with whom you collaborate Notes in iOS 15 offers several improvements to sharing to make it easier to see who has added what to a note

Specifically, you can now drill down to see who made what changes to a shared note; simply tap the shared note icon at the top of the iPhone screen The subsequent menu item, "Show All Activity," will show you all the changes made to the note, when they were made, and by whom Show Highlights" is a kind of changelog that moves the note to the right and lists all changes made to that note

Shared notes now include a Mention feature that allows you to leave a message for a specific person with whom you are sharing a note Simply enter an atmark (@) and their name and they will be notified of any updates you make to the note

I think this is the most valuable feature added to shared notes My wife and I each share a grocery list on our iPhones Instead of having to remember which one buys produce and which one buys dairy, we can use iOS 15's Memo's Mentions feature to let each other know who should buy what

New software updates for the iPad and Mac support the Quick Notes feature, which allows users to take notes even while using other apps This feature is not part of iOS 15, but if you sync notes across all your devices, you will be able to find and edit those notes on your iPhone

Another major addition to Notes in iOS 15 works in conjunction with iOS 15's Live Text feature, which allows users to capture text in a photo and paste it into a document or message Notepad is one of the many apps that can paste captured text in iOS 15, and you can also access the camera directly within Notepad to capture live text

Here's how to do it Within a note, press the screen to bring up the text popover menu Selecting this will display the camera viewfinder for capturing text in the lower half of the note (For more information on how to use this feature, please read the iOS 15 Live Text Usage Guide)

Among all the other changes in iOS 15, it is easy to overlook the enhancements coming to Notes But if Apple's built-in Notes app is part of your productivity toolkit, you will welcome the addition of tags to better organize your notes The enhanced shared notes, especially Mentions, should also make the app more useful

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the changes introduced to notes in iOS 15 are the most substantial part of Apple's iPhone software update But I certainly plan to use them extensively when the full iOS 15 update arrives in the fall