This app lets you type notes with a keypad on your Apple Watch

Note Tapper for watchOS Apple Watch screenshot 001

Yesterday, I reviewed a cool little Apple Watch app for creating notes on the fly with dictation which can then be shown as a complication on your watch.

In continuing with the same theme, today I take a look at Note Tapper by Mark Cotterill, which adds an interesting twist to taking notes on the Apple Watch—rather than rely on (at times unreliable) dictation feature, you can type out your thoughts using a rather effective built-in keyboard.

After downloading and installing the app on your Apple Watch (in the Watch companion app, tap My Watch → Note Tapper → Show App on Apple Watch), launch Note Tapper on your Watch home screen, or use Siri to “Open Note Tapper”.

Note taking with a keypad, on your Apple Watch

As mentioned, the primary allure of this simple note-taking app is a built-in keypad for those moments when dictation is unavailable (your iPhone is out of range or has a poor network connection) or not working properly (in noisy environments, for example) or you might simply prefer not having to speak your thoughts out loud.

To begin creating a new memo, tap the plus sign and up pops a software keypad that can be scrolled by turning the Digital Crown. In addition to letters, the keypad features Space/Delete keys and a dedicated number row at the bottom.

Tapping a key produces nice auditory feedback accompanied by a very subtle vibrating sensation on your wrist, courtesy of the Apple Watch’s Taptic Engine.

Hitting the right key may take some getting used to due to small targets. That being said, after just a minute or two I became fully familiar with the keypad and was able to type out my first note without making a typo.

When you’re done creating your short memo, tap Add Note at the bottom.

Note Tapper for watchOS Apple Watch screenshot 003

You will be taken back to the app’s home screen where you can browse all your notes. To give some context to your notes, you can optionally add custom dates to them. Start by tapping a note to enter the details screen.

Adding dates to your notes

You’ll notice three empty boxes lined up alongside the top.

Tap the first one and turn the Digital Crown to set the correct day, and repeat the process for the remaining two boxes to complete the date.

To attach that date to the note, tap Add Date at the bottom.

You shall notice that your memo is now accompanied by a date, printed in small type just above the note. This should help make sense of your notes and make browsing through multiple memos easier.

To clear a note, tap it and then choose Delete Note at the bottom.

Note Tapper for watchOS Apple Watch screenshot 002

Or, you can force-press the screen and choose Clear All Notes to delete all the memos you’ve created in one fell swoop. If the Apple Watch’s lack of a native Notes app has been ticking you off, and you wonder what it’s like to type out notes on your wrist using a software keypad, Note Tapper should be worth a try.

Note Tapper for watchOS Apple Watch screenshot 004

This app should come in handy for times when you need to create a quick note to remind you of something, or want to save a quick thought or two that you’ll be expounding on at a later stage but don’t want to pull an iPhone out of your pocket.

Availability

Note Tapper requires an Apple Watch with watchOS 2.0 or later and an iPhone with iOS 9.2 or later. The English-only app can be used independently of your iPhone, and is available in the App Store for 99 cents.