Where Did the Notes Go?
Recently, a strange bug has been causing a stir among iPhone users with iOS 18 (seemingly any version), affecting numerous users globally.
This issue began appearing soon after accepting the latest iCloud terms and conditions. Alarmingly, agreeing to these terms results in the Notes app logging out and no longer displaying any iCloud notes, as though all the user’s created documents have vanished.
However, these notes aren’t gone for good. To retrieve them, there’s no need to close or restart the app. Simply reconnect to iCloud through the iPhone’s Settings app.
It appears that for some, this is a temporary issue that resolves itself, and notes reappear shortly after. For others, including myself, you need to perform a minor tweak.
How to Recover Lost Notes
1. Go to Settings -> [your name at the top] -> iCloud -> Notes.
2. Ensure the Sync this iPhone
option is turned on (or activate it)
3. Wait a few moments and then reopen the Notes app.
4. The Notes app should start re-downloading all your notes from iCloud.
What’s New with Notes in iOS 18
With iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, the Notes app is integrated with the Calculator app in a new feature called Math Notes. This feature allows you to type or write mathematical expressions and see their results instantly under your handwriting
. These results are automatically available in the Notes app, within a new folder of the same name.
In Apple’s Voice Memos app, it’s now possible to record a memo and get a written transcription. This doesn’t require AI capabilities, but you do need to switch the language to English (US), currently the only supported language. You can then record – or open an existing file (in English US). Pressing the small bubble icon – the same used to display lyrics in Apple Music – will display the transcription.
Files compatible with this function will show a small bubble in the left column, right next to the duration. Others will not have it.
The Notes app now supports text coloring. After years in black, Apple has added five colors that also blend with bold or italic styles: pink, purple, orange, mint, and blue. These can be added through the formatting interface at the bottom of the screen. Simply press the Aa
button to access the color options when a word or sentence is selected.
The toolbar icon that allows you to add images or scanned documents to a note has been updated to include more options. By pressing it, you can attach content from the Files app, which makes it easier to add documents to a note. You can also use it to record audio, which is another new feature.
On the small three-dot icon at the top right, you can access settings with new options. You can now see recent notes and retrieve them quickly without going through the home page (where they are displayed in chronological order).
There’s also a toggle for Math Notes to choose between suggested results and results that are automatically inserted when an equal sign is typed, or to disable the feature.
In iOS 18, you can further customize your Control Center on the lock screen, including an option to open the Notes app. This is quite convenient if you need to quickly note down an idea for later, especially if you’ve tucked the app away in a far-off subfolder.