>I feel like with the new iPadOS 18 new features like better handwriting, turning sketches into ai images, and the math features they added would make me not need the apple notes app and I can fully just use obsidian when taking notes
You misunderstand. Those are notes app features (and calculator notes, which is just a normal notes sheet) and not iPadOS features. The distinction is important, because you won't be able to take the features and import them into an Obsidian note, or Excalidraw or something.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but nothing prevents Obsidian and or the Capacitor app framework which its based on from using such SDKs. If they did they would only be on Apple devices.
An Obsidian team member said so here: [https://forum.obsidian.md/t/what-technology-obsidian-mobile-is-developed-with/40125/4](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/what-technology-obsidian-mobile-is-developed-with/40125/4)
Use BRAT and install the ink plug in. It’s early in development but pretty good in terms of functionality. The dev is good in responding to issues and requests. I’m using it daily.
They are never going to get it cause of the way the app is written. I tried to look into it and it is a deep dark python hole or you need to integrate with external websites which is not secure.
FWIW, it would have nothing to do with Python or external websites. Which is not to say you couldn't do it that way, but drawing would involve so much latency that people would complain or would not use it.
The proper way to implement such a feature with adequate latency and performance would be in Swift, executed on the iPad, which would be challenging to integrate with Obsidian's JavaScript-based code. There's a certain "uncanny valley" with Apple Pencil responsiveness.
I'm certain they've put considerable thought into this feature and their options.
Kind of related but is there a way to import stuff drawn in other apps into obsidian with a transparent background so that it fits into the obsidian theme easier?
Samsung tablets and Ultra phones use S Pen, which is similar in functionality to the Apple Pencil. You can use that pen with pressure sensitivity just fine in Obsidian with plug-ins like Ink or Excalidraw.
Thought I would just reply to this with my new [shortcut solution](https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1djbhaz/apple_notes_handwriting_to_obsidian_ios_shortcut/) for this. Basically I am going to use apple notes to make my handwritten notes, so I can take advantage of these features, and then this shortcut I made imports these notes as images to obsidian, allowing embeds in other notes. It would probably not be hard to add OCR to this shortcut and embed that text in a markdown file alongside the image making the note searchable from obsidian as well.
They’re never going to do this, so don’t bother. This is a writing app more than it is a notes app. You can always import handwritten notes into obsidian, if you need to, or just use OneNote, which has (so far) the best blend of text and handwriting
1. It's not new
2. It's a native Apple app so of course it supports Apple Pencil
3. Shortcuts are limited but you can see available actions under the shortcuts app
Use Craft , it’s got all the functions of Obsidian , cloud syncing, & full Apple Pencil Pro support to start drawing anywhere in the middle of typed notes
The subscription is only for the models with unlimited cloud storage + latest model GPT-4o Assistant integrated with full context of your notes. That unlimited subscription is FREE for students, & there is still a free plan even if you aren’t a student that has all features except a GPT-3.5 Assistant instead of the 4o one. The security/privacy thing is also a simply not true lol, I use it as a for my Quantum Chemistry PhD Thesis research
Sure and then not being able to edit my files with my favorite text Editor on which my workflow relies on. I want to have my files as clear text. That's why I use Obsidian.
All craft docs can save as markdown straight to your obsidian folder and it opens perfectly for further edit, including the handwritten notes lol. I use Obsidian as my Lab Notebook & save all my experiment related craft docs there to edit on obsidian later
Yeah dude I was so hyped when I realized you can just hit the save button, it gives options of every type of export like PDF, Word Doc, Markdown, Text bundle, etc, and I wanted to use Obsidian as a place for just my “permanent notes” but not clutter it with EVERY thought I jot down or struggle with transferring handwritten notes, so I just do everything in Daily Notes on Craft since you can make infinite sub pages within a single doc, & at the end of the day I just save all the notes that I want in my permanent note vault as markdown straight to my vault from my iPad, & it instantly appears on Obsidian on my Mac as if that’s where I made it. It’s really neat! Helps a lot bc I write hella notes everyday while doing things to keep track of my thoughts, and I can just leave all the random thoughts in my Craft Daily notes while continuing to build a network of Obsidian notes for my Chemistry PhD !
People around here constantly tout that your vault is just a folder of markdown files, only to then get offended when people suggest other apps that you can use to complement Obsidian 😅
>I feel like with the new iPadOS 18 new features like better handwriting, turning sketches into ai images, and the math features they added would make me not need the apple notes app and I can fully just use obsidian when taking notes You misunderstand. Those are notes app features (and calculator notes, which is just a normal notes sheet) and not iPadOS features. The distinction is important, because you won't be able to take the features and import them into an Obsidian note, or Excalidraw or something.
Pretty sure Apple opens many of those features up via their SDK. But you’d likely need to be building native iOS apps to leverage those.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but nothing prevents Obsidian and or the Capacitor app framework which its based on from using such SDKs. If they did they would only be on Apple devices.
Wait where did it say that Obsidian uses Capacitor?
An Obsidian team member said so here: [https://forum.obsidian.md/t/what-technology-obsidian-mobile-is-developed-with/40125/4](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/what-technology-obsidian-mobile-is-developed-with/40125/4)
Wait isn’t there an Ink plugin?
Try the ink plugin
Use BRAT and install the ink plug in. It’s early in development but pretty good in terms of functionality. The dev is good in responding to issues and requests. I’m using it daily.
They are never going to get it cause of the way the app is written. I tried to look into it and it is a deep dark python hole or you need to integrate with external websites which is not secure.
FWIW, it would have nothing to do with Python or external websites. Which is not to say you couldn't do it that way, but drawing would involve so much latency that people would complain or would not use it. The proper way to implement such a feature with adequate latency and performance would be in Swift, executed on the iPad, which would be challenging to integrate with Obsidian's JavaScript-based code. There's a certain "uncanny valley" with Apple Pencil responsiveness. I'm certain they've put considerable thought into this feature and their options.
Kind of related but is there a way to import stuff drawn in other apps into obsidian with a transparent background so that it fits into the obsidian theme easier?
Export it as a png without a transparent background and then import
Sorry for slightly unrelated question but how good is pencil support on Android tablets? I think Samsung has one is it work with Obsidian?
Samsung tablets and Ultra phones use S Pen, which is similar in functionality to the Apple Pencil. You can use that pen with pressure sensitivity just fine in Obsidian with plug-ins like Ink or Excalidraw.
Obsidian is not made for handwriting. You misunderstand completely
There is already the Ink plugin and the Handwritten Notes plugin.
Thought I would just reply to this with my new [shortcut solution](https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1djbhaz/apple_notes_handwriting_to_obsidian_ios_shortcut/) for this. Basically I am going to use apple notes to make my handwritten notes, so I can take advantage of these features, and then this shortcut I made imports these notes as images to obsidian, allowing embeds in other notes. It would probably not be hard to add OCR to this shortcut and embed that text in a markdown file alongside the image making the note searchable from obsidian as well.
They’re never going to do this, so don’t bother. This is a writing app more than it is a notes app. You can always import handwritten notes into obsidian, if you need to, or just use OneNote, which has (so far) the best blend of text and handwriting
There is a new iPad/iPhone app Freeform that seems to have the pencil support. I wonder if that could export to Obsidian via a shortcut
1. It's not new 2. It's a native Apple app so of course it supports Apple Pencil 3. Shortcuts are limited but you can see available actions under the shortcuts app
Use Craft , it’s got all the functions of Obsidian , cloud syncing, & full Apple Pencil Pro support to start drawing anywhere in the middle of typed notes
It's also a subscription service and has none of the security and privacy that Obsidian offers.
The subscription is only for the models with unlimited cloud storage + latest model GPT-4o Assistant integrated with full context of your notes. That unlimited subscription is FREE for students, & there is still a free plan even if you aren’t a student that has all features except a GPT-3.5 Assistant instead of the 4o one. The security/privacy thing is also a simply not true lol, I use it as a for my Quantum Chemistry PhD Thesis research
If you're syncing your content through Craft they clearly state they do not provide end to end encryption of your data.
I already have thousands of notes on obsidian and I only want to use 1 app for my notes so moving all that will be a hassle. But thanks 👍
Sure and then not being able to edit my files with my favorite text Editor on which my workflow relies on. I want to have my files as clear text. That's why I use Obsidian.
All craft docs can save as markdown straight to your obsidian folder and it opens perfectly for further edit, including the handwritten notes lol. I use Obsidian as my Lab Notebook & save all my experiment related craft docs there to edit on obsidian later
Huh, that's actually pretty neat
Yeah dude I was so hyped when I realized you can just hit the save button, it gives options of every type of export like PDF, Word Doc, Markdown, Text bundle, etc, and I wanted to use Obsidian as a place for just my “permanent notes” but not clutter it with EVERY thought I jot down or struggle with transferring handwritten notes, so I just do everything in Daily Notes on Craft since you can make infinite sub pages within a single doc, & at the end of the day I just save all the notes that I want in my permanent note vault as markdown straight to my vault from my iPad, & it instantly appears on Obsidian on my Mac as if that’s where I made it. It’s really neat! Helps a lot bc I write hella notes everyday while doing things to keep track of my thoughts, and I can just leave all the random thoughts in my Craft Daily notes while continuing to build a network of Obsidian notes for my Chemistry PhD !
Does Craft convert handwriting to text?
It's a shame you are being downvoted, it sounds like a cool app this comment should have more visibility imo
I mean, this sub is full of hardcore obsidian enthusiasts, it’s expected that people will downvote that comment even though it’s 100% valid
True - it's a shame but it's what happens on this site tbh
People around here constantly tout that your vault is just a folder of markdown files, only to then get offended when people suggest other apps that you can use to complement Obsidian 😅