Google Keep is Getting a Major Overhaul with Handwritten Notes

As we wait for Android 15’s highly-anticipated note-taking feature, Google Keep is busy revamping its services, and the latest update reveals some exciting changes. Specifically, Google Keep is introducing "handwritten notes," where users can employ handwriting, images, and text to sketch, doodle, brainstorm, or capture their ideas, perfect for use with a stylus or touch.

The update, version 5.24.422.02.90, contains strings that highlight the new functionality. Here, you can use handwritten notes to:

• Sketch
• Doodle
• Brainstorm
• Capture ideas

The feature is designed to work seamlessly with a stylus or touch, making it an ideal tool for tablets and foldables.

Moreover, the update includes introductory prompts for new features:

• Welcome to Keep floating notes: "Click the stylus to capture ideas from anywhere. Collect information with the screenshot tool."
• Welcome to Keep lock screen notes: "Capture thoughts straight from your lock screen. Keep will save them for you. By default, we make a new note each time. If you want to have the same note appear each time, go to settings in the Keep app."

Android Authority has enabled the UI for handwritten notes, which appears to be separate from the existing drawing format in Google Keep. These drawings are added to text notes, but the new format appears to stand alone, in the grid.

The pen and highlight tool are unchanged, but there’s a new Material 3 slider to adjust stroke width and an updated color picker. The "plus" menu lets you add an image (with cropping) or a text box (with bold/italics/underlining formatting supported), as well as take a photo. The cursor allows you to move what you’ve added on the canvas.

Additional features include more possible lines and grids, such as dots small/large, grid small/large, ruled narrow/wide, or none. You can also adjust the background color. The layout is clearly tailored for tablets and foldables, and once done, handwritten notes can be exported as PDFs.

In a broader development, Google Keep is working on a redesign of its homescreen, which has yet to launch.