There are updates and then there are UPDATES. Our users are not shy about letting us know what they want, so we get incredibly excited to release an update that we know will make a lot of people very happy. I have four words: iOS rich text support. I have two more words: shared notebooks. But that’s not all. We’ve also added passcode lock, a redesigned new note screen, a completely new iPad interface, and much more. Let’s take a look.

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RICH. TEXT. SUPPORT.

This one was a doozy to implement, which makes it all the more exciting to announce. You can now add styled text (bold, italic, underline), highlight existing text, add URLs, create header text, and make lists. On iPhone, we had to completely rethink the New Note screen in order to accommodate the styled text features.

In order to create styled text on iPhone, tap on the new “A” button along the top of the note. You can either apply styles to new text, or to existing text by highlighting it. Certain options, such as lists and header styles, apply to the entire line that you’re editing.

On iPad, the rich text buttons are located along the top of the note.

Editing existing rich text

This update dramatically increases the creation and editing capabilities of Evernote for iOS. You will be able to edit any note that contains rich text that was created on the device. You will also be able to edit any note that contains styles available on iOS. There are some limitations to be aware of. You won’t be able to make direct changes to notes that contains more complex styles than what can be made in Evernote for iOS. These may include web clips, other typefaces or tables.

If you try to edit a complex note, you’ll be presented with new options: Append or Simplify. Append will add your additions to the end of the note. If you choose Simplify, Evernote will simplify the styles in the note to ones that are editable, which means that some complex styles may disappear. If you want to get back to the original, you can fish it out of the trash.

What about checkboxes?

This feature isn’t perfect yet, but we’re working on it. For now, to create checkboxes you must use the desktop version. As always, you can check off boxes in iOS.

Access Shared Notebooks

You can now view any notebook that other Evernote users have shared with you from both iPhone and iPad. Here’s how to access Shared Notebooks:

• iPhone and iPod: Tap on Notebooks in the menu bar, then tap on Shared Notebooks. Next, select the notebook you wish to view.
• iPad: Tap on the Shared tab in the top bar of the application. This will display the list of notebooks that have been shared with you.

When you tap to open a Shared Notebook, Evernote will begin to download snippets for the notes. Just as with your own notes, any note that you view in a Shared Notebook will be stored locally on your device.

You cannot create or edit notes in a Shared Notebooks, yet. We’re working on it.

New Premium feature: Lock Evernote with a Passcode

Premium Evernote users can now lock the app with a passcode for an added layer of security. This is great for keeping sensitive information hidden from prying eyes, or just making sure that your kids don’t accidentally delete some notes after they finish playing Angry Birds. This feature is available on both iPhone and iPad. To activate the passcode, go to Evernote settings, choose Passcode Lock, then set your code. The passcode request will popup whenever you open Evernote.

Search within notes

You’ve always been able to search across your entire account. Now we’ve added the ability to search within a particular note. To do this, open a note and tap on the magnifying glass. This will open a search box. The search you perform will be within the specific note you’re viewing.

Slideshow View

On both iPhone and iPad, we’ve added a new image viewing mode called Slideshow View. Slideshow View is perfect for viewing only the images attached to a given note. Simply load the note you wish to view and tap on an image. This will load the image in full-screen view. Next, swipe right or left to view other images inside of that note.

The Slideshow View has two additional useful features. When viewing an image, tap on the share icon in the lower left corner. You’ll see two options: Save and Copy. Tapping the Save button places the photo into the device’s camera roll. Tapping the Copy button places the image into your clipboard, allowing you to paste it into other notes and apps.

iPad Redesign

In addition to the great new features described above, the iPad also got a major layout update.

All Notes View

There are a number of updates to the All Notes view. Notes are now displayed as easy-to-read Snippets, giving you significantly more information about the content of a note than before. If you want even more details, pinch and zoom into the note list to increase the size of the Snippets. Reorganize the way notes are presented by tapping on the View Options button in the bottom bar.

The new interface also makes it really easy to share and delete multiple notes. To do this, tap on the Edit button in the top left corner. Next, select the notes. Finally, tap the share or delete buttons in the upper right corner of the screen. An alternative to tapping the edit button is to simply tap and hold one of the notes you want to select.

Snippets

The note list now displays notes as Snippets, which provide more information about the notes and give you a larger thumbnail. It’s a great way to quickly scan through your notes to find exactly what you need.

More to come

That’s a heck of an update. There are also lots of behind-the-scenes improvements to speed and stability. More great updates are on the way.

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