WatchNotes - multiple notes on an Apple Watch!

Two months ago I posted WatchNote - a Shortcut to add a simple note directly to the Apple Watch which I use with my Ultra’s Action Button. After using it for a while I realized I could do something much more powerful: How about viewing or editing many notes directly from a watch? Well, here it is:

WatchNotes - edit and view multiple notes on the Apple Watch!

Get the Shortcut for free here:

WatchNotes - version 1.0

When you open it up, you are able to create a new note. You can write or better yet, dictate, its contents and save it. Later you’re able to easily view it right there on the watch and update it.

Important: You still need an SSH account for this! Just as with WatchNote, you need to set up SSH account and follow my steps from my previous post.

Actually, if you’ve already set this up, you can use the same credentials for this Shortcut. I use both of these Shortcuts with the exact same credentials and they don’t interfere with each other.

Main use case: adding book notes while running!

When I do sports I very often listen to audiobooks. Every now and then I’d like to note something down. A thought, an idea, a paragraph… and I only run with Apple Watch Ultra 2 and AirPods Pro - I don’t have the iPhone with me.

So I just stop, hit the Action button and open this Shortcut and choose the book note and add my thoughts by simply dictating them! Super sweet.

Interesting UX: note stays open and I can edit it again!

After I’ve saved my thoughts, the Shortcut doesn’t close, but it stays open with this note’s options visible on the watch face:

This way when I keep running and listening to the audiobook and when I have another idea to note down, I just tap “Edit”, dictate another thought, save it and get back to running. I’ve realized that in a single run I sometimes stop 3-4 times to add a note and this approach of leaving the Shortcut open with selected note lets me add my ideas quickly.

Also, when I hit “Edit” the dictation starts with a new line, so I can quickly append a new paragraph or two and not mess up the previous thing I saved. These small design decisions make using this Shortcut a joy.

When back home, I can also edit the note on the iPhone or iPad

I’ve added this Shortcut to the Action button on both my iPhone and iPad (as a Shortcut widget). This way when I’m back home I can access my notes and edit them easily.

⌚️ Enjoy taking notes from your Apple Watch!