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Evernote is about to get a lot less useful for free users
Time to pay for Evernote or look elsewhere
Evernote was the note-taking app to use back in the day. It was a pioneer in the digital note-taking field, with the service being an indispensable part of the everyday life of its users. But over the years, Evernote lost its way with a bloated app, unreliable syncing, and the lack of new features to keep it ahead of the competition. In November 2022, the productivity app got a new owner, with Bending Spoons promising to keep the service unchanged and regularly add new features. But now, the company has announced a controversial change that will affect long-time free users of the app.
Evernote tests drastic restrictions on free users
Evernote could put a limit of 50 notes for those on the free plan
Evernote has a long legacy of being one of the pioneers of digital notetaking apps and is still the go-to choice of millions of users. Even after all these years, the app manages to keep up with its competition with new features and occasional experiments. But Evernote’s latest test may not go down well with long-time users as the company wants to fundamentally change how your free account works with new usage restrictions that are bound to irk many users.
Note hopping in Evernote is finally as easy as it is on Notion
This highly-requested feature has taken years to come along
It takes a lot of effort for an app like Evernote — especially when it's under new management — to hold its own in a crowded market with rival services like OneNote and Notion. Ecosystem lock-in plays a role in OneNote's success while Notion has been making to-dos work better for all sorts of people. Evernote’s strength, on the other hand, is offering a pleasant and user-friendly note-taking experience, but the service can't rest on its laurels. If it wants to continue to rank among the best note-taking apps, Evernote's going to have to catch up... and it's starting to.
Evernote is getting a new owner, but you have nothing to worry about
Don't count on any big changes to your familiar Evernote app...for now
Evernote's been helping people stay organized for a long time, and the service predates even smartphones. But it quickly adapted itself for the small screen in the late 2000s and became the go-to productivity app for many — long-time users still swear by Evernote over anything else. Throughout its existence, Evernote has remained an independent brand, but it’s now going through a transition of sorts, with the company soon changing hands. For Evernote users, though, there’s nothing to worry about right now.
Evernote gets simple recurring tasks while Google is restructuring its reminders yet again
You need a paid Evernote subscription to create recurring tasks though
Last year, popular note-taking app Evernote added Tasks to its platform, bringing your to-do list and notes together. You can create Tasks inside notes and then assign them a due date or priority flag along with a reminder to keep your workflow on track. No wonder Tasks has been a popular addition to Evernote, and now, the company is further improving it with the introduction of recurring tasks. That's unlike Google which is looking to create a mess by killing off Assistant Reminders and removing support for location-based reminders in Google Calendar.
Evernote's new Tasks feature is free ... for now
But it might go paid once early access testing is over
Notes apps often include some kind of to-do list function, so it's kind of remarkable that Evernote doesn't. Or at least didn't as of yesterday, when the app added a new Tasks section for some users. It's available via the left-side hamburger menu, though Evernote is quick to point out that this part of the app is in early access.
Evernote introduces major update with revamped design and handy new features
But widgets, multi-select, and other things have been removed
Evernote is one of the most popular note-taking platforms around, but it's been a while since the company unveiled any big updates — since a dark mode was introduced back in 2018, to be precise. Over the last few months, though, Evernote has been rebuilding its app across platforms, and now it's the Android app's time to shine with a fresh new look and some handy features.
It seems like apps are only gaining white space lately, but at least one of the world's most popular note taking apps is joining the dark side. With version 8.6 of Evernote, the app has introduced a dark mode. With any luck, other major note and to-do apps, like Google Keep and Microsoft OneNote, will follow soon.
Note-taking app Evernote received an update today which adds Android Pie support, templates, and fingerprint dialog capabilities. The update is the first major release after a massive layoff and the exit of Evernote's CTO, CFO, CPO, and HR head. While Evernote has supported templates for a couple of years, they were not built into the app. Instead, they had to be added online from the template website to a user’s account.
According to a report by TechCrunch, Evernote has just cut 15% of its staff, totaling 54 employees. In a follow-up blog post by CEO Chris O'Neill, this is because the company "committed too many resources too quickly" in its "incredibly aggressive goals." Whatever the cause, combined with the recent mass-departure of executives and O'Neill's vocal focus on self-sufficiency, it's hard not to be concerned with the company's future.
With the demise of the Windows Phone operating system, Microsoft has seemingly put extra focus on app development for other platforms. That's great for us Android users, who are able to make use of the company's excellent productivity apps. OneNote is Microsoft's attempt at a note-taking app, and it stands as a worthy competitor for Google Keep, Evernote, and the like.
Outlook's so-called "add-ins" were first introduced to the app this February, but the feature was exclusive to iOS. At least, it was, until Microsoft's blog post today. To put it simply, it allows you to use features from apps like Trello, Evernote, or services like GIPHY from directly inside the app. It's sort of like Android's intents system, allowing you to quickly pass data between services, but built into Outlook.
Fingerprint sensors are rapidly becoming essential features on phones. It isn't just high-end flagships that ship with one these days. Even mid-range devices like the Moto G have them now. So, it comes as no surprise that more and more apps are integrating the feature, too. The 7.12 Evernote beta, which adds fingerprint unlock support, is just one of the more recent examples.
Android's sharing features have always been rather good in general, but Evernote is looking to streamline the process. It's rolling out a new version of its built-in sharing tool today on Android. It allows you to send notes to others via almost any messaging app without ever leaving Evernote.
In a not-so-shocking turn of events, Evernote has reversed its privacy policy stance that I wrote about earlier. The company is not going to implement it and will instead make machine learning and human review opt-in — you know, the way it should have been from the get-go.
One of the newest storms to hit the Internet was the change to Evernote's privacy policy. While this is usually reserved for those of us who can wade through varying levels of legalese (I admit that I'm weird), I do recommend that all users of the note-taking service take a quick pass through one section in particular. And even though people all over are up in arms, there are a few key points to consider.
Ever since it constrained its free plans, Evernote hasn't been the same darling of note takers that it was before. Some people were driven off to other apps, but for those that decided to stick around, there are interesting goodies lurking in the latest update to v7.9.6.
Cloud storage and reminder apps seem to go together naturally - Evernote and Google Keep both have some basic attachment tools, and they share collaborative elements with things like Dropbox and Drive. Today Dropbox is trying to bring it all together with Paper, the company's first new app in quite a while. It's up on the Play Store in beta form, and like the primary storage app, it's free to download and use.
Zoho isn't shy about its new app's target. Right there, at the bottom of Notebook's official product page, is a clear message saying, "Looking for an alternative to Evernote?" There's even a whole page dedicated to comparing side-by-side shots of Notebook and Evernote and telling everyone that although Notebook doesn't have everything now, it's on the right track.
Evernote has announced several changes to its plan structure today that will most likely upset many long-time users. The cost of Plus and Premium plans will be going up, and the free Basic plan is getting much less useful with active device limits. When there are so many other options for note taking apps, this is going to be a hard sell.