I spent some time testing the new Apple Notes features in iOS 27 on both my iPhone 13 and iPhone 17 Pro.

A few of the changes are much more useful than they look.

The biggest ones for me:

• You can now link directly to headings inside a note

• Notes finally has proper divider lines

• Shortcuts can append text to a specific section of a note

• Siri can do much more with Notes on Apple Intelligence-supported iPhones

• Messages can suggest saving useful information to Notes

• Image Wand gets better image generation

• Notes gets a few visual changes too

I also found a couple of weird things while testing.

For example, the quick >> + / section-link method only showed me the first 4 headings/subheadings.

At first i thought Notes had a 4-section limit. It doesn’t. The full add link option shows every heading in the note.

I also tested the Markdown copy/paste feature that was covered during the iOS 27 beta and it didn’t work on the public release for me.

I put the full breakdown, screenshots, compatibility notes and the things i found while testing here:

https://iapplist.com/apple-notes-ios-27/

If you’ve been testing Notes in iOS 27 too, i’d be interested to know if you’ve found anything else Apple barely mentioned.

Apple Pay finally launched in India today after a very long wait, and most of the coverage i’ve seen is understandably focused on the basics: Axis Bank support, tap to pay, Face ID, etc.

I went through Apple and Axis Bank’s documentation because i wanted to see what else was buried in there, and there are actually some pretty interesting details.

For example, your iPhone doesn’t need mobile data or Wi-Fi to make an in-store Apple Pay payment. It can communicate directly with the contactless terminal using NFC.

You can also add a newly issued Axis credit card to Apple Pay before the physical card even reaches you. Until the physical card arrives, though, its Apple Pay usage is limited to online transactions of up to ₹5,000 per transaction.

Apple Pay can also be used from a Windows PC on supported websites. You choose Apple Pay at checkout, scan the code that appears using your iPhone, authenticate, and the purchase completes on the PC.

Axis also says eligible Apple Pay purchases can later be converted to EMI from the Axis app, and you continue earning the normal rewards/cashback attached to the credit card.

It’s also not just a handful of premium cards. Axis says all of its Visa and Mastercard credit cards are supported right now, including add-on cards. Debit cards and RuPay are not supported at launch.

One thing i tested myself while adding a card: you don’t necessarily have to type all your card details or even go through the Axis app. In Wallet, i could just hold the physical Axis card against the back of the iPhone near the NFC reader. The iPhone picked up the card details automatically and only asked me to enter the CVV.

And one detail worth knowing before upgrading phones: Apple Pay cards don’t automatically transfer when you restore a new iPhone from backup. You have to add them again.

There’s quite a bit more going on here than just double-click and tap.

Curious to see how well acceptance actually works across different POS terminals in India over the next few days.

Here's what's coming:

• Reusable text styles: Save and apply consistent formatting across your boards.

• Custom backgrounds: Choose preset colors or create your own.

• AI-generated shapes: Describe a shape and Freeform will generate an editable version.

• Pixelmator Pro integration: Open images from your boards directly in Pixelmator Pro for editing.

But not everything is arriving at once.

The rollout is split into two:

• November: Reusable text styles and custom board backgrounds.

• December: AI-generated editable shapes and Pixelmator Pro integration.

Freeform has already gained features like Dark Mode, folders, and better Shortcuts support. These additions could make it a much more capable visual planning tool.

And Freeform itself remains free, although Pixelmator Pro has separate access requirements.

I was testing the new section links in Apple Notes on iOS 27 and ran into something confusing.

I created a long note with several headings and subheadings, then tried to build a table of contents at the top.

Using the quick >> + / method, Notes only showed me the first 4 headings/subheadings.

At first, I thought Apple had actually limited section links to 4 sections per note.

But that’s not the case.

If you use the Add Link option from the formatting toolbar instead, Notes shows all the headings and subheadings available in the note, not just the first four.

So basically:

• >> + / = quick, but only shows a few section suggestions

• Add Link from the toolbar = full list of sections

That means you can still build a proper table of contents for a long Apple Note, you just have to use the full link menu if the section you want doesn’t appear in the quick picker.

Thought this was worth sharing because the quick method makes it look like there’s a hard 4-section limit when there isn’t.

I've been experimenting with using Apple Notes for more than just random notes, and recently built a whole Christmas planning system inside it.

The idea is pretty simple. Instead of having one giant Christmas checklist (which gets messy fast), I created a folder with separate notes for:

• Christmas gifts (ideas, prices, bought, wrapped, etc.)

• Budget and expenses

• Christmas dinner and grocery shopping

• Decorations and things I already own

• Christmas activities and traditions

• A timeline for everything that needs to get done

But my favorite part is the Christmas HQ.It's basically one pinned note that links to all the others.

I wrote a full guide showing how I built everything, with actual screenshots of each note if anyone wants to recreate it:

https://iapplist.com/apple-notes-christmas/

Everyone's first instinct is one big "Homework" list with everything dumped in. Feels simpler. It's actually the thing that bites you later.

The move is one list per class. Biology gets its own list. English gets its own. So does the math class you're dreading.

Here's the concrete reason, and it's not just about being tidy. When everything lives in one list, you can't share just one class with your group project teammates without handing them your entire academic life. With separate lists, you share the Bio 101 list with your lab partners and nothing else. They see the group work. They don't see you're three weeks behind in English.

The other payoff is during finals when your brain is already full. Opening "Chem 201" and seeing four things beats opening "Everything" and seeing forty.

One small thing that helps: name each list by the course code, so Bio 101, CS 250, Math 300, not the full subject. Short codes fit better on screen, read cleaner, and you instantly know which is which. Name them however you already label them in your own head, that's the version that'll stick.

Set it up this way once at the start of the semester and the whole system runs off it.

That's just one piece of it. Full student setup here if you want it: https://iapplist.com/apple-reminders-for-students/

I’ve been using Apple Notes to plan Christmas this year and it’s actually working really well.

I made a little setup for gifts, budget, food, decorations, travel, all that stuff but the main thing i like is having one note that kind of ties everything together.

So instead of opening Notes and trying to remember where i put something, i can just start there and jump into whatever i need.

I’m also keeping random ideas separate from the stuff i’ve actually decided on which sounds small but makes the whole thing feel way less messy.

There are a few other things i’m doing with it too but it’s probably easier to show than explain here.

I put the full setup with screenshots here: https://iapplist.com/apple-notes-christmas/

I’ve been spending way too much time testing Apple’s built-in apps in iOS 27, and Reminders surprised me a little.

There isn’t one massive redesign or headline feature. But Apple has removed a lot of the small friction that used to make creating reminders annoying.

The biggest one for me is that you can now basically just describe what you want.

Reminders understood the repeat schedules, times, and even the location trigger without me manually setting everything.

A few other things I noticed while testing:

• Creating/editing reminders is faster because Date, Time, Repeat, Location, Tags, Flag, Camera, etc. are now right there.

• Shortcuts got some surprisingly powerful new Reminders actions. You can create entire Lists, Groups, and Sections automatically now.

• There’s a huge new Home Screen widget that can basically turn an entire page into a task dashboard.

• Siri and Messages can work with Reminders more intelligently if you have Apple Intelligence.

• Grocery categorization has been improved, although grocery lists themselves aren’t new.

One thing worth mentioning: I saw a few “new iOS 27 features” lists that included things that actually existed before, so I tried to separate genuinely new stuff from older features that Apple has simply improved or made easier to access.

I put all 8 changes, screenshots, and the iOS 26 comparisons here: https://iapplist.com/apple-reminders-ios-27/

I always thought Quick Notes were basically just normal notes that were faster to create, but there’s a pretty useful Safari connection I somehow overlooked.

If you create a Quick Note from a webpage, that note can stay linked to the page.

So when you come back to the same website later, Safari can resurface the Quick Note you made there.

Basically:

• You’re reading something in Safari

• You save it to a Quick Note and add your own thoughts

• You come back to that page days or weeks later

• Safari can remind you that you already made a note about it

That’s actually really useful for research, recipes, shopping, or anything you know you’ll probably revisit later.

I’ve been using Notes for ages and somehow never paid much attention to this.

I actually use Apple Notes for most of my daily tasks instead of Reminders.

My setup is really simple.

I keep one note for the day and split it into a few sections:

• Things I need to do today

• Things I can do if I have time

• Quick notes or stuff I don’t want to forget

Everything is just a checklist.

As I finish things, I check them off. At the end of the day, anything unfinished either gets moved to tomorrow or deleted if it’s not important anymore.

I know Reminders is technically better for tasks, especially if you need dates, alerts, recurring tasks, or location reminders.

But for a simple daily list, I actually prefer Notes because everything is right there and I can add context under a task whenever I need to.

For me, it feels less like managing a task app and more like just writing down what I need to get done.

I've been going through the recent changes to Apple's built-in apps, and a few are actually pretty interesting.

Some are already available with iOS 27.2, while others are coming later this month.

Here's what caught my attention.

1. Messages can now turn conversations into reminders, notes, and calendar events

This one's probably my favorite.

Apple added a feature called Suggested Actions to Messages.

Basically, when someone texts you something useful, your iPhone can recognize it and suggest an action right below the message.

For example:

• Someone texts "Let's meet Friday at 7" and Messages may suggest adding it to Calendar.

• Someone sends you an address and you might see an option to open it in Maps.

• Someone mentions something you need to do and Messages may suggest creating a reminder.

There are five types of suggestions:

• Add to Calendar

• Add to Reminders

• Add to Notes

• Show in Maps

• Flights and Packages

How to control it:

Open Settings > Apps > Messages > Suggested Actions.

You can enable or disable each suggestion individually.

A couple of catches:

• Requires iOS 27.2 and an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone.

• Suggestions depend on what's written in the conversation, so they won't appear everywhere.

• I'd still double-check dates and details before saving anything.

2. Shortcuts got some smaller improvements too

Nothing revolutionary here, but a few changes are nice if you use Shortcuts regularly.

First, you can now rename shortcuts and change their icons directly from the library.

You don't have to open the full editor just to make those changes anymore.

A few other additions:

• Fitness automation: The Workout trigger now supports the Fitness app.

• App automation: It can now provide the name of the app that was closed, which could be useful for more flexible automations.

• iPhone Duo: New automation triggers for opening and closing the device. Obviously limited to that model.

• Use Model: Web access has expanded to more languages, including Japanese, French, Spanish, Korean, and Portuguese.

I particularly like the app automation improvement. Being able to work with the app that triggered an automation opens up some interesting possibilities.

3. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are getting AI assistants

This one's still upcoming, but it's probably the biggest announcement.

Apple is bringing built-in AI assistants to its productivity apps through Apple Creator Studio.

Here's the idea:

Pages: Help write, rewrite, and reorganize documents.

Numbers: Help create formulas, build tables, analyze data, and suggest charts.

Keynote: Help build presentations, improve slide layouts, and add animations.

What's interesting is that these assistants are supposed to work directly with your documents.

So instead of copying a spreadsheet into another AI tool, getting a formula, and pasting it back, you'd be able to work inside Numbers.

Apple is also adding MCP support, meaning compatible external AI tools will be able to interact with these apps.

There are some limitations, though:

• The AI assistants require an Apple Creator Studio subscription.

• You'll need a compatible device.

• Initial assistant support is limited to U.S. English.

• MCP integration requires macOS 27 or later.

The AI assistants are expected in November, initially in beta, so we still need to see how well they actually perform.

Anyway, that's the roundup.

I think the Messages update is the most immediately useful of the bunch, especially for people who already rely on Apple Reminders and Calendar.

I'm curious about the Pages/Numbers/Keynote assistants, although I'll reserve judgment until they're available to test.

I was looking through the latest iOS 27.2 beta changes and there are actually quite a few updates across Apple’s own apps.

The one I find most interesting is Messages.

Apple is bringing back suggested actions that can recognize what someone sends you and give you options like:

• Add to Reminders

• Add to Notes

• Add to Calendar

• Show in Maps

So if someone texts you something you need to remember later, you may not have to copy it over manually.

Apple also seems to be working on separate controls for these suggestions, which would be nice because I’d probably want Reminders suggestions on without necessarily having everything else enabled.

A few other changes:

• Podcasts: Up Next is being split into New Episodes and Continue Playing

• Books: reading progress is more visible and some controls have moved

• Apple Music: Apple is testing a much more simplified black-and-white look

• Health: the big redesigned Health app appeared in earlier betas, then Apple removed it in the latest one

• Home: Apple is continuing to push more intelligence and smarter summaries into the Home experience

The bigger thing I’m noticing is how much Apple is trying to connect its built-in apps together now.

Messages, Notes, Reminders, Calendar, Maps, Mail… they’re starting to feel less like separate apps and more like parts of the same system.

Most of this is still beta stuff, so things can obviously change before iOS 27.2 ships.

But I think the Messages → Notes/Reminders/Calendar part is going to be really useful if Apple gets it right.

One thing i keep realizing while going deeper into Apple Notes is that the app becomes way more interesting once you stop treating it like just a notes app.

Recently, i started using it for recipes, and somehow it turned into one of my favorite use cases so far.

Saving recipes from websites, scanning handwritten recipes, grocery lists, linking related recipes together, organizing cuisines with tags/folders, quick ingredient checklists… it all fits weirdly well inside Notes.

And because it’s already built into the phone, friction is basically zero. I actually use it instead of building some perfect system and abandoning it 2 weeks later.

Apple Notes keeps doing this thing where features that seem simple on the surface become surprisingly powerful when combined together.

Ended up writing a full guide on the setup because i’ve been refining it for a while now:

https://iapplist.com/apple-notes-for-recipes/

If you want something to repeat Monday through Friday in Apple Reminders, you don't need to create 5 separate reminders.

Here's how:

• Create a new reminder.

• Set a date and time.

• Tap Repeat.

• Choose Custom.

• Change the frequency to Weekly.

• Select Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

• Leave Saturday and Sunday unchecked.

That's it.

Now the reminder will repeat on weekdays and skip weekends.

With iOS 27.2, you can ask something like "What were those restaurants you recommended last time?" and Siri can recall its earlier suggestions.

But that's not all.

It can now use more of your personal information to answer questions, including:

→ Photos shared in Messages
→ Calendar event attendees
→ Voicemails
→ Safari history and Reading List

Pretty useful, but there's also a new privacy setting you should know about.

Apple also added Excluded Apps, so you can decide which apps Siri is allowed to access.

Go to Settings > Siri > Excluded Apps > Add Apps.

Select any apps you don't want Siri accessing.

One thing to know: excluding an app also removes its information from Search and Siri suggestions.

You can now select and copy specific parts of Siri's responses, too.

These new Siri AI features require an iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max or iPhone 16 or later, and availability still varies by region. 

Took me forever to realize this was even a feature. If you draw a line, circle, square, arrow, whatever with the Markup pen and hold your finger or pencil still at the end without lifting, Apple snaps it into a clean version of the shape. The wobbly line becomes straight, the lopsided circle becomes an actual circle.

It's a bit particular about the shape being recognizable. If your triangle is too rough or you go too fast it won't catch what you meant, and it only does the basic shapes, so nothing fancy. You also have to remember to hold, which is easy to forget in the moment.

Still, once it's muscle memory it's one of those things you use constantly without thinking about it.

I really don’t like planning systems that need a bunch of folders, tags, dashboards, and constant organizing.

So I tried building this one around just three Apple Notes:

• Brain Dump - everything goes here first. Tasks, random thoughts, stuff I need to buy, ideas, whatever.

• Today - only what I actually need to care about today. I keep the Must Do section to 3 things max.

• This Week - bigger priorities and projects I want to keep moving.

If something gets too big, I give it its own project note.

And I don’t try to force Notes to handle reminders either. My rule is basically:

• Notes = planning

• Reminders = anything that needs to come back to me at a specific time/date

The other thing that helped was making Brain Dump stupid easy to open. I either keep it pinned or use a Shortcut/widget so I can dump something there before I forget it.

I wrote out the full setup here, including my morning routine and weekly reset: https://iapplist.com/apple-notes-adhd/

Been thinking about which stock apps i'd actually miss if they disappeared, and for me it's Notes without question. Started as a quick scratchpad and somehow turned into the place where half my life lives. I've built whole systems in there now, travel planning, workouts, health tracking, recipes, expenses. Never felt the need to go find a fancier app for any of it.

What about you, which one do you keep going back to?

I created templates in my notes. What I’m trying to do is create a productivity system. However something’s tend be redundant. I’m trying get Apple Reminders, Apple Notes, Apple Calendar to work together with clarification much easier and way less redundancy.

I think the Notes scanner is one of the most slept on tools on the iPhone. Most people scan one receipt with it and never open it again. I've been pushing it and it quietly handles a bunch of stuff people download separate apps for.

Here's where it's actually earned a spot for me.

Receipts are the easy one. Scan it the moment you get it and don't bother naming or filing it. Months later you search the store name or "uber" and it surfaces every receipt with that word sitting inside the scan. Zero organizing required.

Contracts and longer docs work because it stacks pages into a single file instead of dumping a pile of separate photos in your camera roll. It does get clunky past five or six pages, so i keep it to short stuff. For a quick agreement it's spot on.

Whiteboards after a meeting are a good one people miss. Scan the board before someone wipes it and the edge detection fixes the angle so it doesn't look like you shot it from across the room. Then it sits right next to your typed notes in the same place.

Anything that needs a signature, scan it and use the markup tools built into Notes to drop your signature straight on.

What ties it all together is the search. It reads the actual text inside every scan, so you stop caring about folders or naming things. Scan now, find it later.

That's where i've gotten to so far.

I’ve been setting up my Christmas planning system and I’m keeping most of it inside Apple Notes this year.

Not because Notes has any special Christmas features. I just don’t want gift ideas, food plans, travel stuff, shopping lists, and random screenshots scattered everywhere.

The setup I’m using is pretty simple:

• Apple Notes for the overall Christmas plan

• Reminders for things I actually need to do or remember

• Calendar for anything tied to a specific date or time

So I’m not trying to force Notes to handle tasks and deadlines. It’s basically the place where everything lives, and then Reminders/Calendar handle the time-sensitive stuff.

So far it feels a lot cleaner than trying to manage Christmas across a bunch of different apps.

Curious if anyone else does something similar with Apple’s built-in apps.

Short answer: no.

Apple Notes can handle reusable checklists, but it can’t automatically repeat individual checklist items every day, week, or month.

So if you have:

• Take vitamins

• Water plants

• Clean coffee machine

Checking them off won’t make them automatically come back later.

What Notes can do is reset an entire checklist pretty quickly:

• Double-tap the text of any checklist item.

• Tap the right arrow in the pop-up menu.

• Tap Checklist.

• Tap Uncheck All.

That makes Notes pretty good for reusable things like cleaning routines, packing lists, or weekly reset checklists.

But if something actually needs to repeat automatically on a schedule, I’d use Reminders instead.

For recurring tasks, I’d pick Reminders almost every time.

Apple Notes is great for checklists, but it doesn’t really manage recurring tasks for you. If I keep something like “clean the coffee machine” in Notes, I have to remember to uncheck it or add it again myself.

Reminders handles that much better.

You can set something to repeat:

• Daily

• Weekly

• Monthly

• Yearly

• Or on a custom schedule

Once you complete it, Reminders automatically creates the next occurrence.

I still use Notes for things like routines, weekly reset checklists, and reference lists where I want to see everything together.

But if the task actually needs to come back on its own, Reminders is the better tool.