In the Notes app, you can edit and richly format the contents and even add drawings. You can also lock and protect notes with a password. However, there are a lot of iPhone, iPad and Mac users who cannot use these functions in notes, this has to do with your account.
To use these options, iCloud must be linked to Notes. Only iCloud users can use these extras. This is because all changes and extras must be synchronized, something that Gmail, for example, cannot do.
Why isn’t drawing and formatting working in iOS Notes?
The Notes application works together with iCloud, Apple’s online service. In Notes you can also use Gmail, Outlook and other accounts. You can add this via Settings â–¸ Apps â–¸ Notes â–¸ Accounts. Add an account or tap your current account and turn on Notes.
However, by doing this you are using this account as a synchronization. It is possible to add multiple accounts, but if you want to use the formatting functions, you can do so only via iCloud.
Activate iCloud for Notes
So if you want to draw, format and more, you need to activate iCloud. Before you can get started, you must have an iCloud account. You can read in detail here what iCloud exactly is and how to create such an account. If you have an account you can activate Notes for iCloud.
- Open ‘Settings
- Tap your name
- Navigate to ‘iCloud’
- Tap ‘Notes’
- Enable the ‘Sync this iPhone’ option
Apply drawing and other formatting in Notes
Open the Notes application and return to the overview of all folders. Now open ‘All iCloud’ or a folder under the ‘iCloud’ category. Tap the square with the pencil at the bottom to create a new note. Choose the plus button (on the iPhone) to activate the formatting options. These are immediately active on an iPad.
You can continue to use your old Gmail account, for example, but you cannot apply the formatting options here. Only notes created under iCloud can do this. You can optionally move the notes created under your Gmail account to iCloud.