Secret Notes 1.1 for iOS

Description#

Secret Notes is a private, encrypted notepad. Note contents are encrypted on your device with a key stored in the iOS keychain; the app can be locked with a PIN and Face ID/Touch ID. Your data stays on your device — there is no vendor cloud and no account. Backups and multi-device sync work against your own server (Nextcloud or any WebDAV storage).

Seven note types are supported: text (with rich formatting), checklist, spreadsheet, Markdown, audio, video, and tally counter.

Quick start#

• Tap + in the Notes tab, give the note a title, and start typing. Closing the editor saves automatically.
• Set up a PIN and Face ID under Settings → Security so the app locks itself.
• Create a backup early: Data → Create Backup, or connect your own cloud under Data → Cloud Backup.

On first launch a short walkthrough introduces the main areas and starter categories (Private, Work, Ideas, Passwords) are created for you.

Navigation & tab bar#

The bottom tab bar shows Home, Notes, Data, and Settings by default; Categories, Folders, Trash, and Archive are found under More. Under Settings → Appearance → Customize Tab Bar you can reorder all areas by dragging — the first four land in the tab bar.

Home is an at-a-glance dashboard: counters plus collapsible sections for notes due today, pinned notes, and recent notes.

Creating a note#

Tap + in the Notes tab and pick the type in the editor. Types marked PRO require Secret Notes Pro (or the free trial).

Text#

Free-form text with rich formatting: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, text color, and highlight (20 preset colors each). Formatting applies to the current selection via the toolbar under the text area; undo/redo is built in. Pasting formatted text from other apps keeps its formatting. [[Note title]] creates a link to another note; links and URLs become tappable in the reading view.

Checklist#

Task lists with sub-items. The editor groups items into collapsible Open and Completed sections. Checking a parent checks its children; checking the last child completes the parent. Items can be reordered by dragging within their level; the + on a parent row adds a sub-item. The note card in the list shows a progress bar and tappable checkboxes; the reading view can hide completed items.

Spreadsheet PRO#

Simple tables with named columns. Columns share the width automatically, or drag a column edge to set a custom width. Rows and columns can be added, renamed, and reordered.

Markdown PRO#

Write Markdown source in a monospaced editor; the reading view renders headings, lists, emphasis, code, and links.

Audio PRO#

Record voice memos directly in the note. Recordings can be transcribed to text on-device (see Dictation & transcription); a description text can accompany the recording.

Video PRO#

Record or attach videos; they are stored as attachments with an optional description.

Tally#

A counter note: big plus/minus buttons for counting anything. Free on all devices.

Working with notes#

Editing & automatic save#

Tap a note to read it, then the pencil to edit — or long-press actions from the list. By default the editor saves automatically when you close it with Done. If you prefer explicit control, turn Settings → Editor → Automatic Save off: the editor then shows Cancel/Save and asks before discarding changes.

Note titles are unique — if a title is already taken (including by a note in trash or archive), the app tells you instead of creating a duplicate. This keeps [[note links]] unambiguous.

Pinning, color, rating#

Notes can be pinned to the top of the list, given one of the preset colors, and rated with stars. All three are available in the editor; the list can show or hide each element (Settings → Display).

Reminders#

Set a date and time in the editor; repeat options include daily, weekly, monthly, and more. Reminder notifications offer snooze actions (10 minutes / 1 hour). Recurring reminders reschedule themselves automatically.

Pin to Notification Center PRO#

⋮ menu → Pin to Notifications keeps a note visible in Notification Center; tapping it opens the note. Unlike a reminder it has no time — it is a persistent quick link (it can be dismissed like any iOS notification).

Categories#

Notes can carry any number of categories. Manage them under More → Categories: create, rename, recolor, reorder, and trash. Each category can override the auto-lock timeout (the strictest override among a note's categories wins) and can hide text previews for its notes.

Folders PRO#

Hierarchical folders with colors. A note lives in at most one folder. Create folders in More → Folders or directly from the note editor (Folder → New Folder). Folder lists and filters count notes including subfolders.

Attachments PRO for most types#

Attach images (free), PDFs, audio, video, and documents to any note; photos and videos can be captured in-app. Tap an attachment to view it fullscreen — the share button there saves or shares it. Attachment file names are searchable.

Search & filter#

The search field filters as you type across titles, contents, and attachment names. Filter chips narrow the list by folder, category, type, pinned, and reminder; active filters color the filter icon.

Sorting & reordering#

Sort by name, date, category, rating — or use Custom order: tap the ⇅ button and drag notes into place (this switches sorting to Custom automatically). The custom order syncs to your other devices.

Note history PRO#

Every save creates a version snapshot. Open ⋮ → History in a note to view and restore earlier versions. The number of versions kept is configurable in Settings.

Trash & archive#

Deleting moves a note to the Trash; restore single notes, use Restore all notes, or let auto-cleanup purge them after a configurable number of days (each card shows its remaining days). Archived notes leave the main list but stay searchable in the Archive. Deleted folders and categories also land in the Trash and can be restored.

Bulk operations PRO#

Select Notes in the list menu enables multi-select with Select All: archive, move to folder, assign category, or trash many notes at once. Trash and Archive have matching bulk actions. A snackbar offers Undo after trashing.

Templates#

When creating a note, Use Template offers reusable templates. Placeholders like {date}, {time}, {weekday}, {week}, and {month} (German aliases work too) expand when the template is applied.

Converting note types#

Changing the type of an existing note converts its content where possible (e.g. text ↔ checklist); the app asks for confirmation first.

Security#

• PIN: a numeric app lock; the hash is stored salted in the keychain.
• Face ID / Touch ID: biometric unlock with the PIN as always-available fallback — both can be active at once.
• Auto-lock: lock immediately or after 1, 5, or 15 minutes in the background. Categories can enforce a stricter timeout for their notes.
• Per-note lock: a note marked Lock Note hides its content behind an extra Face ID/PIN prompt, and never shows previews in lists or widgets.
• Encryption: note contents are encrypted with AES-GCM using a device key in the iOS keychain. Titles remain readable so search and sorting work. Portable backups wrap the key with your backup password.

Backup & restore#

Everything lives in the Data tab.

• Manual backup PRO: Create Backup writes an encrypted ZIP (notes, categories, folders, attachments, recordings) protected by your backup password. Restore Backup reads it back — including backups made on other platforms with a backup password.
• Automatic local backups PRO: daily or weekly versioned backups on the device, with configurable retention and an optional mirror folder of your choice.
• Backup password: required for cloud backups and cross-device restores. Keep it safe — without it an encrypted backup cannot be opened.
• The Data tab shows the total size attachments add to each backup, and a storage cleanup finds orphaned media files.

Device-to-device sync PRO#

Sync two devices directly over the local network (encrypted peer-to-peer, no server): full library sync, sending a single note from its ⋮ menu, or receive-only mode.

Cloud backup & multi-device sync PRO#

Connect your own Nextcloud (use an app password, not your account password) or any WebDAV storage — HTTPS required. A backup password is mandatory, since cloud backups must be portable.

• Back Up Now uploads a versioned backup; older ones are pruned to your configured maximum.
• Sync Now compares both sides against the last sync: it uploads automatically when only this device changed, asks before restoring when the cloud is newer, and shows a conflict dialog when both changed. Nothing is overwritten without confirmation. The Last Backup line turns red after 14 days without a backup.
• Multi-device sync merges your library note by note through one encrypted file on your server: the newer version of each note wins, trashed notes move to the trash everywhere. It runs at app start and about once a day in the background when Sync automatically is on, or on demand with Sync Notes Now. Attachments are not part of note sync — use cloud backups to move them.
• New device: configure the same server and backup password, then restore the newest cloud backup.

Export & import#

• CSV: export and import including attachments. The text column is encrypted with the device key by default; switch Export unencrypted on to write plain text.
• JSON: full export, encrypted with the device key by default (readable only on this device); unencrypted export is available via the same toggle.
• Markdown: a ZIP with one .md file per note, folders as real directories — ready for Obsidian and similar apps.
• PDF PRO: export a single note from its ⋮ menu, or the whole (filtered) list from the list menu — search and filters are honored.
• Google Keep: import a Google Takeout ZIP — notes, lists, labels, colors, and images come along.

Sharing into the app#

Share text, links, images, or files from any app to Secret Notes via the share sheet. Each share becomes a new text note (files become attachments). If a note is open in the editor when the share arrives, the content is appended to that note instead.

Dictation & audio transcription#

Use the keyboard's microphone for dictation in any text field. Audio notes offer Transcribe Audio PRO: the recording is converted to text entirely on-device.

Widgets & quick actions#

Home-screen widgets: Quick Add, Recent Notes, Single Note (configurable), and an interactive Checklist widget whose checkboxes can be ticked right on the home screen. A Control Center control creates a new note. Locked notes never show content in widgets. Long-pressing the app icon offers New Note, New Checklist, and Search.

Note: widget data is stored as unencrypted snapshots in the app's protected container so widgets can render without unlocking the app.

The Mac version#

Secret Notes runs natively on Apple-silicon Macs with the same library. The notes list becomes a two-pane layout (also on iPad), arrow keys change the selection, and rows offer right-click context menus. All sync and backup features work identically — a Mac and an iPhone can share one Nextcloud.

Settings#

Pro features & free trial#

Secret Notes Pro is a one-time purchase unlocking: spreadsheet, Markdown, audio and video notes, folders, note history, attachments beyond images, bulk operations, backups, device-to-device sync, cloud backup and multi-device sync, PDF export, and pinned notifications. A free 7-day trial with all Pro features can be started from the upgrade screen or Settings — no payment details required.

Privacy#

The app collects no data and phones home to no one. Note contents are encrypted at rest; network connections happen only to servers you configure yourself. See the privacy policy.

Support#

Questions or problems? In-app help: Settings → Help & Support. Contact: agrauf67@gmail.com.