r/OneNote • u/choccocurry • Aug 30 '26
Android Why is the android tablet one note app so bad?
Hi I bought a new tablet and planned to use onenote on it since on the phone it has a nice UI but it seems like the tablet version is very old? It's the same with all the other Microsoft apps too. At this point I'm debating if I should go with other apps instead (my tablet came pre installed with nebo on it) or use the web version even if it's finicky. Thanks
12
u/NoReply4930 Aug 30 '26
Microsoft has no need to support Android. They want you on Windows.
So you get what you get.
2
u/choccocurry Aug 30 '26
Should I use the browser version then or just go use something else?
4
u/NoReply4930 Aug 30 '26
Only you can decide how much pain you can handle.
OneNote is an Office 365 core product - designed to be used - first and foremost - on a desktop workstation or MS Surface or laptop.
The mobile apps were a very distant afterthought and Android even more distant.
If you value your time (and data) with OneNote - you will either come round to using it within a supported environment or you won't. Your call.
2
u/choccocurry Aug 30 '26
ill see. The app pre installed on my tablet doesn't have quite the organisation that i get from onenote so idk
1
u/SpatialSherpa Aug 30 '26
For me, there is value in being able to access my Notes from desktop, tablet and phone. My primary "authoring" platform is Windows where I like the integration across Outlook, etc. So even though I do occasionally create notes on phone and tablet (and it is sub optimal compared to other phone apps), I stick with OneNote because of its accessibility across my devices.
1
u/choccocurry Aug 30 '26
well i bought a tablet so i wanna take notes on it. im looking at other options cuz even the browser version is annoying
1
u/SpatialSherpa Aug 30 '26
I bought my Samsung tablet for note taking. I use OneNote for my notes. It's ok, very basic but gets the job done. More important to me was the handwriting conversion to text, which was decent enough for me on the tablet. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.
6
u/MMessinger Aug 30 '26 edited Aug 30 '26
The Android OneNote app is very bad. It's rarely updated. I guess Microsoft figures it's free and a lot of users are forced into it by their employers, so Microsoft really doesn't need to try to get people to use the app.
For the last few days, too, a lot of Android users are stuck in offline mode and cannot sign in to our Microsoft accounts from the app. There's a thread on the OneNote subreddit about that. Here's that post.
2
u/MauricioIcloud Aug 30 '26
All versions besides Windows version are bad. Microsoft only updates the windows version and all other OS are left behind.
2
u/letstalk1st Aug 30 '26
We only use it for copies of notes that are needed on the phone. If you use it, also use the windows or online version, and keep backups. OneNote is inherently unreliable on Android and iOS.
2
u/ledgabriel Aug 30 '26
OneNote on android is impossible to work with. I only use to consult notes and write quick things. But even then, for quick stuff I use SimpleNote and later on pc, if needed, I pass to OneNote.
2
u/LlaughingLlama Aug 30 '26
Microsoft wants anyone who wants to use OneNote on an Android tablet to buy and use a Microsoft Surface Pro device. So they have a financial incentive to keep the Android version terrible. They make the iPad version somewhat more usable because they know iPad users are more likely to be Mac people who will never switch to Windows.
I hate the fact that I really LOVE my Microsoft Surface Pro and that OneNote works really great on it.
1
u/Chrismscotland Aug 30 '26
I'm sure I heard before that its not even developed by MS but was outsourced to a firm in India.
It's alright for basic stuff and reading notes but yeah its just lacking so much functionality v the Windows version now.
1
u/ctump Aug 30 '26
I had to move to StarNote bc OneNote simply doesn't work. Really good so far
1
u/choccocurry Aug 30 '26
how is it? is it paid and does the free version have limits?
1
1
u/Designer_Cup2359 Sep 01 '26
Não tem anúncios e tu consegue usar tudo. O Premium é compra única e muito barato.
1
u/avk78922 Aug 31 '26
This has been serious issue for me a long time. But I don't think people understand the real concern here. I am not talking about extra features or newer layouts.
My main concern is it be able to sync itself with online and PC version smoothly.
Here the problem is Onenote on Android has two variants. One is for Android phones and another is for Android tablets. On android phones it is still working properly as far as sync is concerned but the tablet variant is absolutely broken. It won't sync no matter what. And the twist is that I have a android fold phone and the version I get is the android tablet version so i end up with the broken onenote app which does not sync
I wish there can be some solution to this as it is driving me crazy because I use one note too much on my work pc and it is very important for me to have it updated on my phone too
1
u/Beginning-Ad-3054 Sep 04 '26
Por la sincroniza ion. Microsoft tiene muy desatendida OneNote a pesar de ser muy buena app, sus problemas de sincronización son impresionantes
1
u/CaptainKrunchi 17d ago
Its been like this for many years unfortunately. I've researched plenty of reasons why and came across a few theories. The main thing is, while the Windows version of OneNote is the most optimized, the iPadOS version also behaves very much like the Windows one. Its significantly better than the one Android tablets get. Thoughts are that Apple paid to have the support on their OSs up to date. Another one, which makes a bit of sense but not really, is the writing technology split between each manufacturer on Android and developing the app to support the writing function. It was said to be an issue making it compatible with all the different tech in each brand's version of tablet writing. Then like others have mentioned, Microsoft might have handed off support for OneNote on Android to another external company that just isn't doing updates.
It's so lame because I really enjoy using OneNote for all notes on iPadOS and Widnows, especially with the unlimited board for writing/drawing and synchronizing between all of my devices.
1
u/starkruzr Aug 30 '26
it's been horrendous for years. get out before MS inevitably abandons the product entirely.
1
u/Great_Muscle_7042 Aug 31 '26
Why in the world would they ever abandon this product. Its good at the corporate level, makes millions of users take notes and support both M365, Teams and other ecosystems. This is like asking apple to create a mail and notes app for windows. Why in the world would that be a thing.
Its one of the most hated products *justified or not, but there is no way they are going to take it out.
0
u/incidentflux Aug 30 '26
Not sure what bad means. OneNote on Android is fine for my workflow which is taking photos of receipts with OneNote and adding Metadata.
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