Support
It's a tiny project — I'm a solo developer, and HandyNotes is built and supported by just me. You'll get a reply from the person who wrote the code, not a support queue.
Contact
The fastest way to reach me is Telegram. Email works too, and the app has a built-in feedback form for quick reports while you're using it.
You can also open Settings → Send Feedback inside HandyNotes to send a message, an optional screenshot, and a reply address — right from wherever you are in the app.
Frequently asked questions
How do I import a PDF from another note app?
Export or share the PDF from your other app, then open it with HandyNotes (or use the import option inside a notebook). HandyNotes converts the pages into real, editable pen strokes and detects paper ruling automatically, so lined and grid templates carry over correctly. Long documents convert the first page immediately and finish the rest in the background as you view them.
How does handwriting search work, and which languages does it support?
As you write, HandyNotes indexes your handwriting on-device using ML Kit Digital Ink recognition, with Vision OCR as a fallback for scanned or imported pages. Search covers eight languages: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese. Nothing is sent off your device to make search work.
Do I need to download anything for search to work?
Each handwriting recognition language model is roughly 20 MB and downloads once from within the app. After that, recognition and search for that language work fully offline. You can choose which languages to download in your profile settings.
Can I export my notes as a PDF?
Yes. Any notebook can be exported as a true vector PDF — your strokes stay crisp at any zoom level, rather than being flattened into a raster image.
What is the handwriting research donation, and can I delete what I've sent?
It's an entirely optional, opt-in way to contribute your handwriting samples to a public research dataset. You review every sample before it's sent, and it's identified only by a random ID on your device — never your name or contact details. You can turn it off at any time in your profile, which stops new samples immediately, and you can request deletion of everything you've already contributed by messaging me on Telegram or email with your writer ID from Settings. See the Privacy Policy for the full details.
How do I back up my notes?
HandyNotes can back up your library to your own private iCloud Drive — the same iCloud account already signed into your device. That backup lives in your iCloud storage; it never passes through my servers.
What's the minimum iOS version?
HandyNotes requires iPadOS or iOS 26 or later.
I found a bug. How do I report it?
Use Settings → Send Feedback inside the app — it's the quickest way, and you can attach a screenshot. You're also welcome to message me directly on Telegram or by email. Include what you were doing, what you expected, and what happened instead, and I'll take a look.