Evernote’s completely redesigned iOS app arrives today
New Windows, Mac and Android apps are coming soon.
Over the years, Evernote has fallen from one of our top note-taking app recommendations to an honorable mention. Even Evernote admits that it “suffered from consistency and scaling challenges” that were holding it back, but the company is ready to change that. Today, it’s unveiling its completely rebuilt iOS app. Rebuilt Windows, Mac and Android apps are coming soon.
Evernote says the new apps improve speed, reliability and scalability. The new interface is “intuitive and clutter-free.” Users have more control over headings, fonts, highlight colors and checklist formats. The toolbar and search features have been improved, and it should be easier to edit web clips and manage links. All of this was built with insight from nearly 150,000 beta testers.
As you may remember, in its heyday, Evernote was the go-to note taking app, but somewhere along the way, Evernote lost its footing. It stopped letting free users sync more than two devices, experienced a bug that wrecked Mac notes, stirred up some privacy drama and cycled through CEOs. In 2015 and again in 2018, Evernote was forced to lay off dozens of workers. Eventually, Evernote decided it had to start over.
“We took a bold, unconventional approach to solve the scalability and innovation limitations our product had accumulated over many successful years, which required rebuilding from the ground up,” said CEO Ian Small.
In a series of behind-the-scenes videos, Evernote explains how it rebuilt its apps, but today’s iOS launch will be the first real test. The big question is if Evernote can reclaim its spot as a leader, especially now that it has so much competition from services like Google Keep, Notion and OneNote.
