What you need to know
- Google Keep already has handwriting mode for users to draw notes; an advanced version appears in the works.
- The latest APK findings of the Google Keep app reveal a new handwritten notes feature, amongst other nifty improvements.
- They include new backgrounds in handwriting notes mode, so you can soon see some color.
- The image support in the Google Keep app should also include new tools.
Google Keep will likely add new productivity tools in the coming updates, as the latest findings of the notes app indicate new features, particularly for handwritten notes.
As noted by the folks at Android Authority and with their APK Insights of the latest Google Keep app bearing version 5.24.422.02.90, we should see a new handwritten notes feature. The notes app already offers a handwriting mode alongside plain text, checkbox list, and image-based notes.
However, the latest handwritten notes feature looks like it is aimed at Android phones with a stylus, like Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example. It even works for users who use their fingers to draw in the aforementioned modes.
The publication further notes that the new handwritten notes will be separate from the drawing notes feature that the Google Keep app currently features. The one visible change to differentiate between two handwritten notes is the older handwriting note will have its title at the bottom, whereas the new one is believed to be shown at the top.
The latter also gains the ability to be shared as PDF files—a feature already available in other note-taking apps like Samsung Notes, for instance. The previous handwriting notes were only shared as image files, not PDFs, which appears to be a neat addition.
Furthermore, the new handwritten notes also mention a new "Text to sketch" feature, which will likely incorporate AI-based sketches in future updates of the Google Keep app.
Besides, the latest feature isn't just limited to Android phones for now; it has also been spotted on the web client file Keep — which is, however, uneditable at the moment and visible only as PDF, notes Android Authority.
Aside from the new handwritten notes, the app findings also indicate some nifty new features coming to the notes app. The handwriting mode previously had illustrations like lines and dots to choose from for the background for handwritten notes. Now, users will be able to add some color to it, as shown in the demo video.
Notes incorporating images can be moved around, resized, and cropped according to requirements. These new capabilities were seen working on the Google Keep app's tablet interface.
These findings promise valuable features for the Google Keep app, which is constantly getting neat new features like the most requested window resize feature. The app also gained a new capability recently that allows people to use multiple accounts when put in split mode for foldable phones.
