Notes app IOS 10: Change font?

Question

Notes app IOS 10: Change font?

I'm using the Notes app a lot on my new iPad Pro 12.9. It seems to have just one default font - Helvetica?

Has the release Apple IOS 10 made it impossible to pick a different font for Notes?

What about Bold/Italic/Underline? I can live with Helvetica if that's it, but when I selected a word I wanted to italicize, and it gave me the "B/I/U" choices, choosing the "I" does not change the selected word or sentence to itals? Does this mean Apple not only removed all choices for any other font except Helvetica, but a particular style/bank of Helvetica that cannot be italicized?

Seems like some highly restrictive choices to me, Apple. Notes is a good useful program, made all the more useful with the addition of Folders, Checklists and Drawing...so why no font change, not even italics?

iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 10.1

Posted on Mar 6, 2017 4:11 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Demo

Level 10

166,657 points

Mar 6, 2017 5:20 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

I have no idea why it won't work on the iPad Pro. What I always do when apps don't behave as they should, I force close the app and force restart the iPad. Some will tell you that Apple advises force restarting should be used only if the device does not respond and that it is a last resort. I have force restarted my device many times, I have recommended it many times and many times it has helped solve problems.

First close the Notes app. Press the Home button two times quickly. You'll see small previews of your recently used apps. Swipe left to find the app you want to close. Swipe up on the app's preview to close it.

Force restart your iPad. Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo.

I Don't know if it will solve the problem, but it will not hurt anything to try.

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Answer 2

Mar 6, 2017 4:46 PM in response to Demo

Very strange. Only the Italics doesn't work, and only on my new iPad Pro 12.9.

I select a word on my iPad and the formatting bar pops up, like yours above. If I tap B/I/U it turns into a choice of Bold/Italic/Underline. Choosing either Bold or Underline works, actually bolds or underlines the selected word. Choosing Italic does nothing.

Curiously, on my iPhone 7+, the Italic command does work.

Somehow this "won't italicize" command is only on my brand new iPad Pro 12.9. Any idea how that could be?

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Answer 3

Mar 7, 2017 6:52 PM in response to Demo

Thanks Demo, tried it, no change.

My iPad is still under Apple care, so I could call Apple customer service, but I've been having very bad experiences with their "geniuses" lately, who don't seem to know much more than me, or who put me on hold and then never return. It also seems unlikely that anyone there would be able to pinpoint a problem with one very specific formatting fail (only Italics) in one particular App, Notes.

I'm hoping someone else on this community forum will weigh in with a good answer.

Of course, I could always return/replace the brand new iPad to the store as "defective," but what a hassle for one formatting fail!

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Answer 4

MichelPM

Level 10

81,334 points

Mar 7, 2017 7:10 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

Just to put this out there, but there are plenty of other Notes apps that are out in the iOS App Store.

Ones that are very similar in look and feel to Apple's less flexible native Notes App that give you the ability to save notes to other Cloud Storage services, like DropBox AND these other notes apps have more flexible formatting options.

Just sayin'.

You're NOT tied to the "stock'Apple Notes App.

Sometimes, Apple's own apps aren't the best, just free.

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Answer 5

Mar 7, 2017 7:17 PM in response to MichelPM

Thanks MichelPM. Do any of those other apps automatically copy your notes across all your Apple devices (as in iCloud,) without having to DropBox or email the note to your other device? That's the deal breaker for me; gotta be able to type a note into my iPhone, and have the changes/additions immediately show up on my iPad and iMac...without any extra manual downloading or foolin' around.

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Answer 6

MichelPM

Level 10

81,334 points

Mar 7, 2017 7:56 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

I couldn't tell you that.

I really do not like Apple's iCloud for most services (other than for iOS Device backup purposes) because I find it inflexible and too limiting.

This is why I use DropBox.

Many notes apps have integration with iCloud, DropBox and a few other popular Cloud/off-site server storage services.

One note app I continue to use for many years is Notability, which I have set up to automatically update and backup my notes to DropBox.

Plus, DropBox on my Mac gets automatic updates that I can easily access from my Mac.

Everytime I edit or make a change to a note or file in Notability, it automatically gets updated to DropBox, but I may still need to download it to other notes apps on my other iDevices, but, at least, I always know that my DropBox versions are always being updated and current, if I am using a notes app that has the automatic backup/upload function.

The plus with DropBox that iCloud doesn't do is if I decide to delete a note off one of my iDevices, it WILL NOT automatically delete it off all of my other devices.

I usually have reasons for deleting some notes/documents/photos off one iDevice that I DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY want deleted off my other iDevices or Mac!

Plus, Notability is one of the few iOS notes apps that has a direct OS X version that I can access my whole Notability files on my Mac from my DropBox and use Notability on my Mac and have access to all of my note/sketch files from Notability on my iOS devices.

There are precious few iOS note apps that have direct OS X counterparts.

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Answer 7

tnewcomb

Level 1

9 points

Aug 4, 2017 12:10 AM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

I also have iPad Pro, I don't have your problem but my notes wouldn't sync across all my other apple devicesfrom my iPad. After trying the same standard fixes as you have, I deleted the notes app and reinstalled it. This fixed my problem...maybe it would be worth trying.

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Answer 8

Demo

Level 10

166,657 points

Mar 6, 2017 4:27 PM in response to Rhythm Earthsong

The type formatting selections work fine on my iPad in the Notes App. Do you select the type and get the black options bar to pop up?

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