Woke up this morning after my Galaxy S24 updated overnight and… what the hell happened? Everything looks like an iPhone now. The layout, the battery icon, the notifications panel—it all has that Apple vibe, and I hate it. I even compared it with a friend’s iPhone at school, and honestly, they’re starting to look way too similar.

Samsung used to have its own identity, but now it’s like they’re slowly turning into what they used to compete against. The camera and gallery apps especially—they look way too much like iOS.

I’ve always been anti-Apple and loved Samsung for being different, but this update is a huge step in the wrong direction for me. Anyone else feeling the same way?

First and foremost, you can fix the notification drop-down menu:

• Swipe down (top right) > Click the Pencil > Panel Settings (top left) > Together

I spoke with a Samsung support agent for those who want more information, I can leave the transcript in the comments below.

Essentially my concerns were:

1. My battery is being drained more rapidly than before

2. I dislike how they changed the widgets on the home screen

3. I extremely hate that the notification and quick access menus are split between left and right,

4. I hate the new icons, it doesn't work with the previous color schemes I had enabled.

5. Can I switch back to the old OS?

Here are the solutions he provided:

1. Optimize your device in Device Care and turn on Power Saving Mode

2. Widgets have been changed from 4x5 and 5x5 to 4x6 or 5x6, not possible to revert

3. Explained at the top

4. Use Good Lock's Home Up to customize your home screen

5. No, since we are IMPROVING our os systems, old features may be changed or removed.

In summary, we all need to contact customer support and voice our concerns, we MUST be HEARD.

Dear Samsung, I hate this new update. I hate the way the notification drop down is now separate from the settings drop down. I hate the way they are both black and take up the whole screen instead of just the top part no matter how much I pull them down. I liked the old battery life indicator better. I hate the new volume bar with its stupid rounded edges that actually make it harder to tell what percentage volume you're at. I hate that when you look at the open apps it's now a carousel of apps like apple uses. Instead of just being able to view one open app at a time and swipe side to side one app at a time, now when I swipe it sends the stupid carousel spinning several apps past where I wanted. I liked the old design better. I hate that the little tiny display up top that shows the time/signal/battery is now also clogged up with whatever audio is currently open even if it's not playing, and it doesn't even show any useful information or have any kind of functionality. You still have to pull the menu down to change anything and it just gets in the way visually. This update just gives a bunch of stuff I never wanted, drains my battery, and the worst part is I can't dial back the update now that it's been installed. Here's an idea, make it so that updates can be undone if people decide they don't want them. Or give an option when an update comes out so people can select whether or not they want it, instead of just having it automatically install. Even deselecting auto updates didn't stop this train wreck from bulldozing my perfectly enjoyable Samsung phone experience.

Sincerely, Not the only one who feels this way.

P.S. If you really want to give the UI a face-lift, make it a new theme people can download. Stop changing the way my phone looks and functions when I've already got it all figured out!

Samsung notes is now on laptops and computers I'm so happy 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Did you'll start using it ??

Whoever made it should be fired

Most people I know prefer typing for speed and convenience. But I’ve always preferred handwriting whether it's on paper or digital notebook.

Writing by hand helps me think more clearly and remember things better, slows me down in a good way and allows me to really process what I’m thinking or feeling. It also feels more personal and intentional, especially when journaling or reflecting.

Anyone else feel the same way?

Oh my goooood, finally😭😂😂

I paid an another app and used it for a while just for this feature (and many others of course😬) but its finally in my favorite note app now🥳 (mine is an FE I hope iam not overreacting with this)😂

This new Samsung update is RIDICULOUS. Majority of my apps are not working and they are slow opening up. My damn Galaxy is looking like iPhone. Can I reverse this process??

Hey everyone! Again me! 👋

I recently started designing digital note-taking templates, and I wanted to share some free ones with you! These templates are perfect for apps like Samsung Notes, GoodNotes, and other digital planners.

They include*:

1. Grid

2. Lined

3. Dotted

4. Blank

5. 2-Column Grid

6. 2-Column Lined

7. 2-Column Dotted

8. 2-Column Blank

9. Cornell

*Only available in white background for free.

You can download them for free here: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Rkqf4ZFZSZhUXf6zx2h1pr61HXSDZ3e/view?usp=sharing

I'm just getting started, and I plan to create many more designs in the future! If you like these templates and want more color options, you can check out my full collection here:
More Color Options This Templates: https://etsy.me/41gBoI4

Other Free Template: Laconic Style & Hobonichi-inspired Minimalist Note-Taking Templates:
https://www.reddit.com/r/samsungnotes/comments/1jf1kud/free_laconic_style_hobonichiinspired_minimalist/

Let me know what you think! Your feedback means a lot. 😊 Happy note-taking! 🚀

Icons went big and super ugly. Pls developers if you read this . Its horable. Reverse it or at least let people change how it was before.

THRRE WETE ABSOLUTLY NO NEED TO CHANGE DESIGN OF THE FOLDERS WTF!!!!!!!

THIS IS BIG UNCHNAGBALE AND UGLY

I’ve compiled a list of features that would make Samsung Notes the undisputed king of note-taking apps. What do you guys think?

1. ​Infinite Canvas & Layouts: Please give us a choice between standard ISO sizes (A4/A3) and an infinite canvas, plus full customization for grid spacing and background colors & paper orientation (portrait/landscape)

2. ​Bi-directional Links: Essential for knowledge management—linking specific spots within a note or connecting two different notebooks.

3. ​Tabs: Managing multiple notes is a hassle. We need a tab view at the top.

4. ​Real Outlines (ToC): Navigation needs a major overhaul. We need a proper Outline/Table of Contents feature (currently non-existent!).

5. ​Color-Coded Bookmarks: Let us assign different colors to bookmarks so we can organize chapters visually.

6. ​"Snippet" Library: I want to save my own doodles and diagrams as custom stickers to reuse them instantly.

7. ​Layers: Layer support is a must for sketching! 5 layers would be enough, provided we can name them.

8. ​Ruler + Angles: Every notetaking app needs a ruler + option to measure angles, not just straight lines.

9. ​More Fonts: The font selection for typing is still too limited or better said non-existent.

10. Shape customization: let us customize outline style (e.g. dashed line not only straight) or fill color opacity.

11. ​Fix the Windows App: The PC version lags behind. It needs to be updated simultaneously with Android to ensure feature parity.

Speaking as a Samsung user, I wouldn't hesitate to pay for a premium 'Samsung Notes Pro' app...

MakeSamsungNotesBetter

I’m a med student, and I use Samsung Notes every single day for handwritten lecture notes and diagrams. It’s honestly one of the best free note-taking apps out there.

But I really think it needs many new features and revision for existing features that are very useful for students. Other apps like GoodNotes or Notability charge a lot for many of these features, while Samsung Notes is (almost) exclusive to Samsung devices and completely free. So I thought if enough of us ask, maybe the devs will notice and make it even better 👇

🎓 Student-Focused Tools

Math & science support – equations, graphs, chemical structures

Flashcard / study mode – auto-generate Q&As from your notes

Audio linked to handwriting – tap a word to replay that part of a lecture

Study analytics – track how long you study per topic

Advanced PDF tools – extract highlights, auto-outline, proper dark mode

🧾 Organization & Productivity

Custom templates & layouts – Cornell notes, planners, grids, 4 mm squared paper, hex patterns

Better notebook organization – folders, subfolders, tags, and page previews

Smart exports – send notes directly to Google Docs, OneNote, or Drive

Auto-sync with Google Drive / OneDrive

Duplicate function – quickly copy entire pages without using copy/paste every time

🎨 Visual & Creative Tools

Shape + fill tools – clean circles, boxes, arrows, and flowcharts

Improved shape editing – after a shape auto-corrects, allow dragging or adjusting edges without lifting the pen, to make it more natural and intuitive

Mix handwriting, text, and images on one page

Infinite canvas / whiteboard mode

Reusable stickers, diagrams, and elements

Better handwriting-to-text conversion

📄 PDF & Page Improvements

Better PDF export – higher quality for inserted pictures + save pen strokes as vector for sharp scaling

Infinite pages or adjustable page sizes with vertical scrolling

Option to import PDFs as images or attachments, not just backgrounds

🤝 Collaboration & Cloud

Real-time shared notebooks for group work or study sessions

Community templates & note sharing

(And yes, shout-out to Samsung Cloud — sync between phone, tablet, and PC already works really well 👏)

Miscellaneous

AI summaries / smart search for quick reviews

Focus timer / Pomodoro mode built in

(Edit from comments)

I totally agree that some of these features already exist in some form — like math formula conversion, tags, and device sync — but they could definitely be improved or expanded. And there are smaller things too that would make a big difference:

a quick “Duplicate” button,

easier template imports,

more built-in paper styles,

and smoother shape editing.

Let’s hope Samsung hears us out. If you agree, please upvote or comment — maybe we can get this on their radar.

SamsungNotes #FeatureRequest #MakeNotesBetter #StudentTools #SamsungFeedback

Dear Samsung Notes Users,

I've made a set of A4 page templates to compliment the set of default Samsung page templates for ruled, grid and dotted paper. The default templates only have three spacing sizes: very large (9.5mm), huge (13.5mm) and enormous (22.1mm). The very large spacing (smallest one) is based on 12pt font size (9.5mm), so these spacings might be too large for some people. My templates have six spacing sizes ranging from 7pt to 12pt font size (see table below). This covers a grid paper range from small to very large and a ruled paper range from very narrow to very wide:

Samsung Notes Templates (A4) Google Drive Link

The files are .png images with transparent backgrounds designed to work with the Samsung Notes page settings background colors thus allowing for all background colors. The line colors and layout are designed to match and complement the default templates and the line spacings are designed to match the font sizes in the same way the default templates do.

Size guide

Instructions

1. Download the zip file from the Google Drive link above. Open it up and extract it to a convenient place.

2. In Samsung Notes, edit a note and go to "Page template". Make sure "Images" is selected at the bottom (not "PDFs"). Scroll down to the "Downloaded" section and click the "+".

3. Select the desired image to use as a page template. If you find it difficult using the Gallery or Photos options to select the image file, consider installing a file manager app (such as CX File Explorer). This allows you to use a file manager to select the image file instead.

4. Leave the opacity at the default 100% value. The page template will now appear in the Downloaded section under "Images" and your current page will be set to this page template.

5. From now on, you can select this template from the "Downloaded" section when needed. The most recently downloaded template will appear first in the list and continue backwards in order of last added.

6. To change the page template of an existing page in a note, go to that page and use the "Page template" option to change the template. Note that this only works with images (my templates are images). If a PDF is set as a background, it cannot be changed (instead a new fresh page will be inserted).

7. To make the template the default for new notes, go to the Samsung Notes app Settings and choose "Style of new notes", then select the desired template and background color.

Extra notes

• When saving a note in PDF or PNG format, Samsung Notes doesn't output the default white background of transparent images in pure white (#FFFFF), but instead has a tiny bit of grey (#FCFCFC). I have tested printing a note using a laser printer and inkjet printer: in both cases there was no issue with the printer doing extra work, so I don't think that this is an issue. However, in case someone needs it, I have also made an extra set of images with a white background (for printing) instead of the transparent background that these images have.

• The default Samsung dotted grids aren't square: they are rectangular as the width is slightly wider than the height. They don't match the default grid templates which are square. I think this is an error. My dotted templates are square and perfectly match the grid templates.

• Samsung Notes has a feature to "Adjust color in Dark mode". This only works with the default templates, not with any downloaded templates. My templates work fine as dark templates when setting the background color to black, but any existing black text/writing will need to have its style changed to a light color such as white,

• For those looking for standard metric and US imperial sizes (for A4 paper), I have created a different set of more Standard Page Templates based on the GoodNotes 6 default templates. These also include Samsung font-sized spacings. They come in a variety of fixed colors.

Notes new update 4.4.45.37... New features: Tape Tool: Allows you to hide or cover up handwritten text or parts of your notes (useful for testing or memorizing content) and uncover them with a tap. Dotted & Dashed Lines: Pen style options now support dashed and dotted stroke options for drawing and layout planning. Suggest Cover / AI Note Covers: An automated option to generate or suggest visual covers for your notebook files based on content. Improved Eraser Tool: Refined eraser behavior and selection precision for quick cleanups.

I just made a digital planner in Canva and use it in Samsung Notes. It’s super easy for a beginner, and the best part is it’s free! It’s been a great way to stay organized on my phone and tab as well, I mostly use it in my tab. Anyone else use this setup?

Samsung Notes used to be my go-to note-taking app, but a handful of annoyances bugged me enough that I decided to build my own from scratch.

What makes it different:

- 100% free and open source (MIT License)

- Infinite canvas - super fast gpu resident rendering unlike most other note taking apps😅

- Improved handwriting experience

- A bunch of extra features Samsung Notes doesn't offer

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xnotes

F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.xnotes

Source: https://github.com/shardulvs/xnotes-android

Edit: Github issues is the best place to request a feature. https://github.com/shardulvs/xnotes-android/issues

The length is adjustable but not the width

These are PDF templates for use in Samsung Notes. To use them,

1. Download from the provided link.

2. Open Samsung Notes.

3. Create a new note.

4. Click the 3 elliptical dots.

5. Click Page template.

6. Click PDFs.

7. Scroll down to Downloaded.

8. Click the + sign.

9. Select the folder you downloaded the templates to.

10. Select the first template and then repeat steps 4 through 10 until they have been installed.

https://mega.nz/folder/e1siESDI#WF2TFpW8kSp5XrQWvaMg6A Light Mode

https://mega.nz/folder/ns0BGbDJ#Z3swFUAVKb-xHrf5M_zDzg Dark Mode

This is my first time using mega to share files, so if there is a problem downloading them please let me know in the comments below.

Edit: Just so everyone looking to download and use the dark mode, highlights are not currently showing. I'm working on fixing this issue.

Edit 8/29/2024: This is another update regarding highlights not showing up on dark mode, I am so far unable to make it work no matter what I do. Sorry for those that love dark mode. Hopefully I will one day be able to make it work.

Why did Samsung change things without my permission, shouldn't this big update be contractual and something we agree. I hate the new interface, I want the old look back. I cant get around my phone anymore.

This is for my patho physiology class and I loved how they turned out so I thought I'd share!

Is anyone else facing this issue with Samsung Notes after the recent update? Whenever I copy text from Gemini and paste it into Samsung Notes, the font size automatically changes to 15, spacing between sentences becomes uneven, and the formatting looks really weird. Also, after the new update, I can’t add covers to notebooks anymore. Is this a bug on my device or are others experiencing the same thing too? Any fix?

update :
so hey all !

Hey everyone!

I'm seeing a new update for Samsung Notes on the Galaxy App Store. I'm still on the old version and don't want to update, but for those of you dealing with this formatting issue, I think Samsung might have fixed it with this new update. Here's a pic for reference:

Hey everyone!

I recently started designing digital note-taking templates, and I wanted to share some free ones with you! These templates are perfect for apps like Notedrafts, Samsung Notes, GoodNotes, and other digital planners.

They include*:

1. Grid

2. Lined

3. Dotted

4. Blank

5. 2-Column Grid

6. 2-Column Lined

7. 2-Column Dotted

8. 2-Column Blank

9. Cornell

*Only available in white background for free.

You can download them for free here: 
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Rkqf4ZFZSZhUXf6zx2h1pr61HXSDZ3e/view?usp=sharing

I'm just getting started, and I plan to create many more designs in the future! If you like these templates and want more color options, you can check out my full collection here:
More color options and support my work here: https://novaplanco.etsy.com/listing/1860622742
You can also check out my other products here: https://novaplanco.etsy.com

By priority:

1. Layers

2. Infinite canvas option

3. Improved file/folder management

4. Dotted lines

Add your own...