Local Notes - User Guide

Local Notes is a location-based note-taking app that lets you pin personal notes, ratings, and reminders to real-world places. Think of it as a private journal for every restaurant, trail, hotel, bar, and neighborhood spot you want to remember.

Map Your Memories.

Available on Android, iOS, and the web at localnotes.nicksaulino.com (Pro only).

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started
2. The Home Screen
3. Creating and Editing Notes
4. Templates
5. Search, Filter, and Sort
6. Bulk Operations
7. Collections
8. Shared Collections
9. Travel Mode
10. Export and Import
11. Nearby Notifications
12. Home Screen Widgets
13. Android Auto
14. CarPlay
15. Statistics
16. Settings
17. Subscription Tiers
18. Web Version
19. Accessibility
20. Tips and Tricks
21. Complete Feature List

Getting Started

Installing the App

• Android - Download from the Google Play Store (search "Local Notes: Map Your Memories") or install the APK directly
• iOS - Download from the App Store (search "Local Notes: Map Your Memories")
• Web - Visit localnotes.nicksaulino.com in any browser

Signing In

When you first open the app, you'll see the sign-in screen with several options:

• Sign in with Google - Uses your Google account. One tap to sign in. Available on all platforms.
• Sign in with Apple - Uses your Apple ID. Available on iOS only. Note: Apple's "Hide My Email" feature creates a separate account, so if you previously used Google or email, your notes won't carry over.
• Email and Password - Create an account with any email address. You'll need to verify your email after signing up. The verification screen auto-checks every 3 seconds, or you can tap to check manually. You can also resend the verification email if needed.
• Continue as Guest - Skip sign-in entirely. Your notes are stored only on this device and won't sync to the cloud. Guest mode is not available on web.

Signing in enables cloud sync - your notes are backed up to Firebase and accessible from any device where you sign in with the same account.

Onboarding Tour

On your first launch, a welcome dialog offers a quick guided tour of the app's key features. You can choose to Start Tour or Start Using to jump right in.

The tour highlights 5 key areas: 1. Add Note button - the floating + button to create notes 2. Long-press the map - create a note at any location by long-pressing 3. View mode toggle - switch between map, list, and grid views 4. Search and filter - find and filter your notes 5. Overflow menu - access settings, collections, statistics, and more

If you skip the tour, a brief hint points you to the User Guide in Settings. You can replay the tour anytime from Settings > Feedback & Support > Replay Tour.

The tour skips itself automatically if you already have notes (for example after a reinstall, or signing in to an existing account on a new device) or if you've launched the app before. It's there to greet brand-new users, not to nag returning ones.

Auto-Restore Purchases

When you sign in, the app automatically checks for any previous purchases tied to your account. If a prior Plus or Pro purchase is found, a popup dialog confirms that your subscription has been restored - no need to visit Settings or manually tap "Restore Purchases." This makes switching devices or reinstalling the app seamless.

Your First Note

1. Tap the + button on the home screen - it expands to show two options
2. Tap Create New Note to search for a place, or tap Note at Current Location to pin a note where you are
3. For a place-based note, start typing a place name - suggestions appear from Google Places
4. Write your note, pick a note type, add a star rating if you want
5. Tap Save

Your note now appears as a marker on the map and as a card in the list.

The Home Screen

The home screen is where you spend most of your time. It has three main parts: the map, the note list, and the navigation controls.

Instant Note Loading

Your notes load instantly when the app launches - there is no loading spinner or "Fetching your notes" delay. Notes are cached locally and displayed immediately, so you can start browsing right away while any cloud sync happens in the background. Map markers appear all at once with optimized icon generation, and Firestore sync runs in the background without blocking the UI.

View Modes

Tap the view mode icon in the app bar to cycle between four layouts:

• Split View - The map fills the screen edge-to-edge (extending behind system bars) with a scrollable note list panel overlaying the bottom portion. The list panel has rounded top corners and slides up over the map. In landscape, the list panel overlays the right side of the map. The floating app bar constrains to the visible map area in landscape split view.
• Map Only - Full-screen Google Map showing all your note markers, extending edge-to-edge behind system bars.
• List Only - Full-screen scrollable list of all your notes. Uses 2 columns in landscape.
• Grid View - Masonry grid of sticky-note-style cards showing place name, note text, and star ratings. Uses 3 columns in landscape.

Your view mode preference is saved automatically and restored instantly the next time you open the app - there is no flash of a default view before your preference loads.

The Map

The map is always rendered at full screen size in a persistent Stack layer - it is never resized or rebuilt when switching view modes. This eliminates resize flicker and ensures smooth transitions between views. GoogleMap padding is used to keep markers and controls properly centered within the visible map area.

• Each note is shown as a colored sticky-note marker on the map with a slight tilt and drop shadow
• Marker colors default to canary yellow for all note types - customize in Settings > Appearance > Marker Colors
• Choose from 10 themed Post-it color palettes (Miami, Rio, Bora Bora, etc.) or set individual colors per note type
• Switch between "By Note Type" (different color per type) and "Single Color" (one color for all) modes
• When multiple notes are at the same location, a multi-note marker appears with a badge showing the count
• Tap a marker to see a themed tooltip that matches your light/dark theme, showing the place name, note type color, and a preview of the note text. For grouped markers, the tooltip shows the note count and types. Tooltips follow the marker as you pan and zoom.
• Tap the tooltip to open the full note
• The map automatically fits to show all your markers when notes load. If your notes span multiple continents, the map smartly zooms to your nearby cluster instead of zooming all the way out to show the entire globe. If you have no notes yet, the map centers on your current location so you can start pinning nearby places right away.
• If you pan or zoom away, a reset button appears to re-fit the view
• Map styling adapts to light/dark theme automatically
• Long-press anywhere on the map to create a note at that location - the address is automatically filled in and nearby place suggestions appear below the place name field so you can tap one to auto-fill the place details

The Note List

Each note card shows: - Place name and note type badge (color-coded) - Your note text (preview) - Star rating (if set) - Favorite heart icon - Notification bell badge (if nearby notifications are enabled) - Distance from your current location (updates as you move) - Visit date (if set)

Tap a note card to open it for viewing or editing. Long-press a note card to enter bulk selection mode (see Bulk Operations).

Pull-to-refresh the list to force a data reload from the cloud (syncs from Firebase for signed-in users).

The App Bar

The app bar is a floating pill-shaped bar that overlays the map, rather than a standard top bar. It contains:

• Local Notes title - tap to quickly open search mode
• View Mode button - cycles through Split, Map, List, and Grid views
• Filter/Search button - tapping it transforms the pill bar inline into a search field (see Search, Filter, and Sort)
• Overflow menu (three dots) - additional options

The Overflow Menu

Tap the three-dot menu (top right) to access: - Settings - App configuration, account, and data management - Export Notes - Export all notes (pick CSV or PDF format) - Import Notes - Import from a CSV file (Pro only) - Statistics - See insights about your notes - Travel Mode - Plan an efficient route to visit multiple places (Pro only) - Collections - View and manage your note collections

Floating Action Button

The + button in the bottom corner expands when tapped to show two options: - Create New Note - opens the note form with Google Places search (existing flow) - Note at Current Location - creates a note pinned to your current GPS location with the address automatically filled in

Tap the button again (or tap anywhere else) to collapse the menu.

Offline Banner

If your device loses internet connectivity, an orange offline banner appears at the top of the screen. Notes continue to work normally using local storage. The banner disappears when connectivity returns, and your data syncs automatically.

Works Offline, Fast

Local Notes is built to keep up with you even with no signal - on a trail, in a basement, on a plane. The app opens straight to your notes without waiting on the network, and the note form opens instantly: when you're offline it skips the Google place lookup entirely instead of spinning, so the place field is ready to type the moment the form appears. Write your note, save it, and link it to a Google place later when you're back online (see Unlinked Notes).

Ads

Free-tier users see a small native ad on the home screen. Upgrading to Plus or Pro removes all ads. If the ad fails to load, a subtle "Enjoy Local Notes ad-free" promo card appears instead, which links to the upgrade screen.

Creating and Editing Notes

Tap the + button and choose Create New Note to search for a place, or choose Note at Current Location to save a note where you are. You can also long-press on the map to create a note at any point - nearby place suggestions will appear so you can quickly select the right place. Tap an existing note to view or edit it.

Place Search

The top of the note form has a search bar powered by Google Places. Start typing a place name or address and pick from the autocomplete suggestions. The search uses session tokens for cost optimization and debounces your typing (waits 500ms before making API calls). When you select a place, the app automatically fills in: - Address - Phone number (if available) - tappable to call - Website (if available) - tappable to open - Google Maps link - tappable to open directions - Place type tags (e.g., "Restaurant, Cafe, Bar")

Nearby Place Suggestions

When you create a note by long-pressing the map, nearby place suggestions automatically appear below the place name field. These suggestions are pulled from Google Places based on the location you tapped. Tap any suggestion to auto-fill the place name, address, and other place details, saving you from having to search manually.

Unlinked Notes

You can also create notes without attaching a place. Just skip the place search and write your note - this always works, online or off. When you save a note with no place linked, a quick tip reminds you that you can attach a Google place later by editing the note and using the search bar.

Notes that aren't linked to a place show a small "not linked" location icon next to the place name - both in your note list and on the note itself - so they're easy to spot and clean up later. The icon is just an indicator; to link a place, open the note, tap Edit, and use the search bar.

If you'd rather not see the save-time reminder, turn off Place link reminders in Settings (the "not linked" icon stays either way).

Note Fields

• Place Name - Auto-filled from place search, or type your own (up to 200 characters)
• Note Text - Your personal note about this place (up to 10,000 characters with a live counter that turns red near the limit)
• Note Type - Choose from: Experience, Tip, Plan, Warning
• Star Rating - Rate from 0-5 stars (supports half-star increments). Interactive tap/drag to select.
• Visit Date - Optionally record when you visited. Tap to open a calendar date picker, with a clear button to remove.
• Favorite - Tap the heart icon to mark as a favorite

Photos

Attach photos to your notes from your camera or photo gallery. - Free tier: No photos - Plus tier: 1 photo per note - Pro tier: 10 photos per note

Photos are compressed automatically (targeting ~500KB) before upload. Signed-in users' photos are stored in Firebase cloud storage and sync across devices. Guest mode photos are stored locally on the device.

When adding photos from the gallery, you can select multiple images at once - no need to add them one at a time.

Photos appear in a full-width swipeable carousel on the note form. Swipe left and right to browse all attached photos. Tap any photo to open a fullscreen viewer with pinch-to-zoom (up to 10x magnification) and swipe navigation between all photos, with page indicators showing your position.

In edit mode, each photo shows an X button to remove it, and the last page of the carousel is an "Add Photo" card for attaching more photos from your camera or gallery.

Adding to Collections

When creating or editing a note, you can add it to one or more collections. Tap the collections section to see your existing collections and check the ones you want. You can also create a new collection inline.

Notify When Nearby

Toggle "Notify when nearby" to receive a notification when you're physically close to this place. You can also set a custom radius (how close you need to be before the notification fires) and choose what content to include in the notification body (note text, rating, note type, address). See Nearby Notifications for more details.

Live Activity (Pro) NEW

Below the notification settings, the "Live Activity" master toggle adds a persistent lock-screen surface for this note. iPhone shows it as a Live Activity (with Dynamic Island compact and expanded layouts on iPhone 14 Pro+); Android shows it as an ongoing notification in the shade. On Android 16 / OneUI 8 (Pixel 9 Pro, Galaxy S25 Ultra and similar), the notification is promoted into the dedicated "Live notifications" section at the top of the shade with a colored progress bar, alongside Google Maps and YouTube Music.

When the master toggle is on, two sub-toggles appear. By default Approach mode is on and At-place mode is off, so the surface tracks your trip toward the place and then bows out once you arrive: - Approach mode - shows the live distance to the place (e.g. "0.3 mi away") as you head toward it. Updates automatically as you move, and disappears on its own the moment you arrive - the live update is about getting there. - At-place mode - keeps the surface up while you're within ~50m of the place, flipping it to show the note title, your star rating, and the first line of the note body. Turn this on for notes you want to keep seeing while you're there (say, a shopping list at the store). With it off, the update simply ends when you arrive instead of lingering.

You can enable either, both, or just one. The Live Activity also ends automatically when you leave the geofence radius - no need to dismiss it manually, and if you swipe it away it stays away. Mute/snooze actions on the notification suppress the Live Activity for the same note. Live Activities require the Pro tier.

When viewing a note, a summary card below the location info lists which sub-modes are currently active. Notes with Live Activity enabled also show a purple flag-with-check badge on their card on the home screen, alongside the photo and notification badges.

If you toggle Nearby Alerts or Live Activity on or off and save, a small confirmation toast tells you which one changed - silent if nothing changed.

Sibling Notes

If other notes exist at the same place (same Google Places ID), you'll see a "Sibling Notes" section showing those related notes. Each sibling note card includes a thumbnail strip of its photos. You can swipe between sibling notes.

Sharing a Note

From a note's view screen, you can share it in several ways: - Share as text - Sends the note details (place name, note type, star rating, note text, template data, address, phone number, website, visit date, and a short Google Maps link) via any app. Includes a "Shared from Local Notes" footer. - Share as CSV - Exports the single note as a CSV file - Share as PDF - Exports as a formatted PDF (Pro only) - Copy to Google Review - Formats the note for pasting into a Google Maps review - Copy to Yelp Review - Formats the note for pasting into a Yelp review

Place Data Refresh

Place details (phone, website, address) are cached when you first save a note. If the data is older than 90 days, you'll see a Refresh button next to the address to re-fetch current details from Google Places.

Deleting a Note

Delete a note from the note form's action menu. You'll be asked to confirm. Deleting removes the note from local storage, Firestore (if signed in), all collections it belongs to, and any associated geofences and photos.

Templates

Templates add structured fields to your notes based on the type of place. Select a template when creating a note to get category-specific fields.

Built-in Templates

Restaurant - Cuisine (text - e.g., "Italian, Mexican") - Price Range (select: $, $$, $$$, $$$$) - Meal Type (multi-select: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch) - Dietary Options (multi-select: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Hike - Difficulty (select: Easy, Moderate, Hard, Expert) - Distance (text - e.g., "5.2 mi") - Elevation Gain (text - e.g., "1200 ft") - Trail Type (select: Loop, Out-and-Back, Point-to-Point)

Hotel - Room Type (text - e.g., "King Suite") - Price Per Night (text - e.g., "$150") - Amenities (multi-select: WiFi, Pool, Gym, Parking, Breakfast, Pet-Friendly)

Shop - Category (text - e.g., "Bookstore, Vintage") - Price Range (select: $, $$, $$$) - Specialties (text - e.g., "Rare vinyl, Local art")

Bar - Drink Specialty (text - e.g., "Craft cocktails") - Ambiance (select: Casual, Upscale, Dive, Rooftop, Sports) - Happy Hour (text - e.g., "Mon-Fri 4-6pm")

Viewing Template Data

When viewing a note with template data, the filled-in fields appear in a subtle container with a label-above-value layout for easy scanning. Only fields that have values are shown.

Tier Requirements

• Free: No templates
• Plus: No templates
• Pro: All templates (built-in + custom)

Search, Filter, and Sort

Text Search

Tap the filter/search icon in the app bar (or tap the "Local Notes" title text) and the floating pill bar transforms inline into a search field (hint: "Search your notes..."). Type to filter your notes in real time - by place name, address, or template field values. Flip the Include note text toggle on to also match words in the note body. Tap the tune icon inside the search bar to open the advanced filter panel with additional filter options.

Filters

The advanced filter panel (opened via the tune icon in the search bar) offers multiple ways to narrow down your notes:

Available to all users: - Note Type - Checkboxes to show only specific types (Experience, Tip, Plan, Warning) - Favorites Only - Toggle to show only favorited notes - Notification Enabled - Toggle to show only notes with "Notify when nearby" turned on - Live Activity Enabled (Pro) - Toggle to show only notes with Live Activity enabled. Label adapts to platform ("Live Updates enabled" on Android). Free/Ad-Free users tapping this land on the Pro paywall - Has Image - Toggle to show only notes with at least one photo attached - Filter by Collection - Dropdown to scope results to a single collection's notes. A clear-icon next to the dropdown removes the selection. Works in every view mode (map, split, list, grid)

Available to Plus and Pro users (Smart Search): - Rating Range - Slider to set minimum and maximum star rating - Date Range - Date pickers for from/to visit dates - Distance Radius - Show only notes within a certain distance (respects your km/mi preference) - Address Keyword - Search within note addresses

Multiple filters can be stacked together.

Active Filter Chips

Whenever one or more filters are active, a row of dismissable chips appears just under the floating bar showing each active filter. One chip per filter (search text, each note type colored to match the type, favorites, notification enabled, Live Activity enabled, has image, rating range, date range, distance, address keyword, collection). Tap the × on any chip to clear just that filter without losing the others. Chips render in all four view modes (map, split, list, grid).

Sort Options

Choose how notes are ordered. Each option can be ascending or descending:

• Added - When the note was created (newest/oldest first)
• Name - Alphabetical by place name (A-Z / Z-A)
• Rating - By star rating (highest/lowest first)
• Distance - By distance from your current location (closest/farthest). Auto-re-sorts as your location updates.
• Visited - By visit date (most recent/oldest first)
• Note Type - Alphabetical by note type (Experience, Plan, Tip, Warning, etc.)

Sort and filter preferences are saved between sessions.

Bulk Operations

Long-press any note in the list to enter bulk selection mode. In this mode:

• The app bar switches to a floating pill-shaped selection bar overlaying the map, matching the style of the main app bar
• Each note card shows a checkbox
• Tap notes to select/deselect them
• Selected notes are highlighted while unselected notes fade back, making your selection clear at a glance across list, grid, and split views
• Select All toggle in the selection bar selects every note
• A count of selected notes is shown

Available Bulk Actions

• Export - Export selected notes as CSV or PDF
• Delete - Delete all selected notes (with confirmation dialog)
• Favorite/Unfavorite - Toggle favorite status on all selected notes
• Add to Collection - Add all selected notes to an existing collection, or create a new one inline
• Change Note Type - Set the note type for all selected notes
• Toggle Nearby Notifications - Enable/disable nearby alerts for all selected notes
• Create Travel Route - Start Travel Mode with the selected notes as stops

Exit bulk selection with the back button or "Deselect All."

Collections

Collections let you group related notes together - perfect for trip planning, neighborhood guides, or themed lists.

Creating a Collection

1. Open the overflow menu > Collections
2. Tap the + button
3. Enter a name (required), optional description, and pick an emoji from the emoji picker
4. Tap Create

Managing Collections

• Add notes to a collection from the note form (when creating or editing a note) or via bulk selection
• Remove notes from a collection in the collection detail screen
• Edit a collection's name, description, or emoji by long-pressing. The emoji picker opens as a bottom sheet with categories and search.
• Delete a collection with confirmation (notes inside are not deleted, just unlinked)

Collection Badges

Notes that belong to collections display collection badges. Tap a badge to navigate directly to that collection's detail screen.

Collection Detail Screen

Opening a collection shows all its notes in a list (sorted by date, newest first). You can: - Tap notes to open/edit them - Long-press to use bulk operations on the collection's notes - Export the collection's notes as CSV or PDF - Tap the map icon in the top bar to filter the home screen map and list to only this collection's notes. A chip near the top shows which collection is active; tap the chip to clear the filter

Exporting Collections

From the collection detail screen, you can export all notes in that collection: - CSV - Available for Plus and Pro users - PDF - Available for Pro users only

Tier Limits

• Free: No collections
• Plus: Up to 3 collections
• Pro: Unlimited collections

Shared Collections (Pro)

Share collections with other Local Notes users for collaborative place lists.

Creating a Shared Collection

1. In the Collections screen, create a new collection
2. Choose to make it a Shared Collection
3. The collection is stored in the cloud and visible to invited members

Inviting Members

1. Open a shared collection
2. Tap Invite and enter an email address
3. The invited user receives a pending invite in their Collections screen
4. They can Accept or Decline the invite
5. Invites expire after 7 days if not acted upon
6. Duplicate invites are prevented (can't invite someone who already has a pending invite or is already a member)

Member Roles

• Owner - Full control: edit collection details, delete the collection, manage members, add/remove notes
• Editor - Can add and remove notes from the collection

Changes Popup

When you open the app, shared collections automatically check for changes made by other members since your last visit. If any changes are detected, a popup summarizes what was added, removed, or edited - so you're always up to date without manually checking each collection.

Upgrade Prompt for Non-Pro Users

If a non-Pro user receives a shared collection invite, they see an upgrade prompt explaining that shared collections require the Pro tier. This makes it easy to discover and upgrade to Pro directly from the invite.

Activity Feed

Shared collections have an activity feed that tracks: - Notes added, removed, or edited (including who made the change) - Members joining or leaving - Timestamps for each activity entry with relative time display ("2 hours ago")

Leaving a Shared Collection

Non-owners can leave a shared collection at any time. The owner can remove members or delete the entire collection.

Shared collections require the Pro tier.

Travel Mode (Pro)

Travel Mode helps you plan a route to visit multiple places in an efficient order.

How to Use

1. Select notes you want to visit (via bulk selection or the Travel Mode menu option)
2. Activate Travel Mode from the home screen overflow menu or bulk actions
3. A first-use info dialog explains how it works
4. Numbered markers (1, 2, 3...) appear on the map showing the visit order
5. A driving route polyline is drawn on the map via the Google Routes API
6. Per-leg time and distance are shown between consecutive stops

Sort Modes

• Nearest - nearest-neighbor algorithm starting from your current location
• Optimized - Google Routes API reorders stops for the most efficient driving route
• Custom - drag-to-reorder stops in any order you like

During Travel

• The first stop shows a "From your location" label to indicate the route starts from where you are
• Check off stops as you visit them
• The total route duration and distance are displayed in the travel header
• Per-leg driving time and distance are shown between stops
• A loading indicator appears while the route is being calculated

Trip Live Activity (Pro)

The travel-mode header carries a flag icon next to the sort menu. It's on by default - while a trip is active, your lock screen and Dynamic Island (or Android notification shade) show the next stop, distance to it, and stop number. The tile updates automatically as you cross stops off.

Tap the flag to toggle it off (icon shows a plain flag when off, a flag with a check when on). A toast confirms the change. The preference persists - the next trip you start will pick up where you left it. Travel Mode wins over per-note Live Activities: if you have any note Live Activities firing as you walk past, they're suppressed while a trip is active.

On iOS, the Live Activity now shows a progress bar that fills as you approach the next stop, and a segmented bar with one capsule per stop on the trip activity.

Exiting Travel Mode

Tap the Travel Mode button again to return to the normal home screen view.

Travel Mode requires the Pro tier.

Export and Import

Exporting Notes

From Settings > Data > Export All Notes or the overflow menu, you can export your entire note collection:

• CSV (Plus and Pro) - Spreadsheet format compatible with Excel, Google Sheets, etc. UTF-8 encoded with BOM for proper character display. Includes all note fields.
• PDF (Pro only) - Formatted A4 document with styled note cards showing place name, rating (star display), note text, address, visit date, favorite status, and template data.

You can also export: - Individual collections from the collection detail screen - Selected notes via bulk operations

After export, the system share sheet opens so you can send the file via email, save to Files, AirDrop, etc.

Importing Notes

From Settings > Data > Import Notes (Pro only):

1. Pick a CSV file (must be a Local Notes export format)
2. The Import Wizard opens with three steps: - File Selection - Pick the CSV file (or it's pre-loaded from a share-to intent) - Preview - Shows parsed notes with duplicate detection. Duplicates are matched by Google Places ID or by place name + GPS proximity (~100m). Select/deselect notes with checkboxes, with Select All/Deselect All options. - Import - Progress indicator, success count, and done button
3. Imported notes get fresh UUIDs and are added to local storage (and synced to Firestore if signed in)

Share-To (iOS + Android)

You can share content from other apps directly into Local Notes on both platforms. On iOS, look for the Local Notes icon in the share sheet (the new Share Extension installs alongside the app). On Android, Local Notes appears in any system share sheet for supported content types.

What gets recognized: - Google Maps links - The app extracts coordinates and place name from a wide range of URL shapes (browser URLs, app share links, directions, Street View, embed links, "search this location" links). Short maps.app.goo.gl links are resolved through redirects to find the underlying coordinates - Apple Maps links - Same treatment for maps.apple.com URLs (ll= / sll= coordinates plus q= / name= / address= for the place name) - Photos with location data - Sharing a photo from Photos / Gallery extracts the GPS coordinates from the image's EXIF metadata and drops a pin where the photo was taken. The photo is attached to the new note. Photos without location data still attach to the note - you'll just need to set the location yourself - Plain text and URLs - Open the note form with the shared content prefilled in the body - CSV files - Open the Import Wizard

Tip: on iPhone, sharing Apple Maps's "share via" link from a place card prefills the note with both the place name and coordinates - one tap to save a place to your notes.

Nearby Notifications

Get alerted when you're physically near one of your saved places.

Setup

On your first home screen visit (after sign-in or guest setup), Local Notes shows the location-access explainer (the bullets you see in step 2 below) once automatically, so you can opt in without having to dig into Settings first. Tap Not now to dismiss; the explainer only auto-appears once per account on this device.

1. Go to Settings > Notifications & Sync and enable Nearby Notifications
2. The first time you turn on a location feature (Nearby Notifications, Widget Background Sync, or "Note at current location"), you'll see a one-time explainer screen describing every way Local Notes uses your location (map, widget refresh, nearby alerts, Live Activities, travel mode) plus a note that location data stays in your private account. Tap Continue to proceed to the system permission prompt
3. Grant location permission when prompted. For best results with geofencing, grant "Always Allow" location access. After granting "While in use," a second explainer offers an "Open Settings" handoff to upgrade to "Always Allow" - required for reliable background geofence monitoring. Tapping the "Tap here to enable background location" hint on the multi-note home screen widget starts this same flow directly
4. When creating or editing a note, toggle "Notify when nearby"
5. Optionally adjust the notification radius (how close you need to be)

How It Works

The app uses a dual approach for location monitoring:

1. Native geofencing (primary) - Registers geofences with the OS (iOS CLLocationManager, Android GeofencingClient) for battery-efficient monitoring
2. Background polling (fallback) - If native geofencing isn't available (e.g., "While Using" permission only), a Workmanager task runs every 30 minutes to check distances using the Haversine formula

When you're within the configured radius of a note with nearby notifications enabled, you'll receive a push notification.

Notification Reliability

Notifications are preserved across app updates and device reboots - you will not lose your configured alerts when your phone restarts or the app is updated. The notification grouping setting in Settings controls how multiple nearby notifications are combined.

Notification Actions

When a nearby notification appears, you get three action buttons: - Open - Opens the note in the app - Snooze - Silences the notification for this note for 24 hours - Mute - Permanently disables nearby notifications for that note (the "Mute" button is styled as a destructive/red action on iOS)

A confirmation message appears after snoozing or muting so you know the action was applied. When using "By Place" grouping, snoozing or muting applies to all notes at that location. Action buttons are not shown when using "All" grouping since the notification represents multiple places.

Notification Content

When editing a note, you can choose what information appears in the notification body. Per-note toggles let you include or exclude:

• Note text - The note's body text
• Rating - The star rating
• Note type - The note type label (Experience, Tip, etc.)
• Address - The place address

Notification Grouping

By default, each note triggers its own notification (Off mode - grouping is off). You can change this in Settings with a 3-way selector: - Off - one notification per note (default). Each note shows its own notification. - Place - notes at the same place are combined into a single notification with summary text that lists the place name and note count; notes without a place ID still appear individually - All - all nearby notes are merged into one notification

Configuration

In Settings > Notifications & Sync: - Location Permission Status - Shows your current location permission level (Always, When In Use, or Denied) so you can verify geofencing will work correctly - Notification Cooldown - How long to wait before notifying about the same note again. Slider with 11 steps: 30 min, 1h, 2h, 3h (default), 6h, 9h, 12h, 15h, 18h, 21h, 24h. - Distance Units - Choose km or mi for the radius display - Notification Grouping - Choose how nearby notifications are grouped: Off (one per note), Place (one per place), or All (single notification)

Default Radius

The default notification radius is 200 meters. You can change this per-note in the note form.

Mute Sync

If you mute a notification from the notification action (outside the app), the mute is synced back into the app on next launch. The note's "notify when nearby" setting is turned off.

Tier Limits

• Free: 1 note with nearby alerts
• Plus: 3 notes with nearby alerts
• Pro: Unlimited notes with nearby alerts

Home Screen Widgets

Native home screen widgets show your notes at a glance without opening the app. Widgets and geofence notifications are fully localized - they automatically display in your device's language (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, or Japanese).

List Widget

The list widget shows your nearest notes sorted by distance. You can now configure what information is displayed directly from the widget itself.

Android:

1. Long-press your home screen > Widgets
2. Find Local Notes and drag it to your home screen
3. Long-press the widget to open native configuration
4. Toggle visibility for note type, rating, distance, and note text
5. Choose a widget color from 19 available colors
6. Tap a note in the widget to open it directly in the app (via deep link)
7. Tap the + button in the widget header to create a new note

iOS:

1. Long-press your home screen > Edit Home Screen > +
2. Search for Local Notes
3. Choose a size: Small, Medium, or Large
4. The widget shows your nearest notes
5. Long-press the widget and tap Edit Widget to configure visibility for note type, rating, distance, and note text, and to choose a widget color

Page-turn arrows on iOS (medium/large/XL). The Medium, Large, and Extra Large iOS sizes now show < and > arrows next to the + in the header. Tap them to flip through your nearby notes a page at a time without opening the app. Each widget on your home screen tracks its own page, so two side-by-side widgets can be on different pages. Arrows fade out at the start and end of the list. Small iOS widgets and Android widgets are unchanged (Android already supports real scrolling via a swipe).

iOS lock-screen and StandBy support. Add a Local Notes widget to your iPhone lock screen or StandBy mode (when your phone is plugged in and laid horizontally on a charger). Three lock-screen layouts are available: - Inline: A single text strap above the clock - "Coffee Shop · 0.3mi" - Circular: A round badge with the distance to your nearest note - Rectangular: A wider pill showing place name, distance + note type, and a one-line note snippet

Tap any of them to jump directly to that note.

Single Note Widget

Pin a dedicated widget for any individual note to your home screen. Available on Android and iOS 17+.

1. Add a Local Notes - Single Note widget to your home screen
2. Select which note to display
3. Configure which sections to show: title, note type, rating, distance, address, and body text
4. Choose a widget color from 19 available colors
5. Reconfigure the widget at any time by long-pressing it

On Android, the configuration screen uses a bottom sheet design with dark mode support and improved note selection.

When "Show Distance" is enabled, you can set a background refresh interval to keep the distance and note data up to date automatically. Choose from 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, or 4 hours. The background worker updates single note widgets alongside the list widget.

The body text in the single note widget fills all available space without clipping, so you can see more of your note at a glance. On iOS, even the small widget size displays body text when enabled.

On Android, the single note widget is scrollable - swipe up and down to read long notes directly on your home screen without opening the app.

Single note widgets are great for quick access to notes you check frequently - like a go-to restaurant's details or a reminder about a favorite trail.

Place Notes Widget

Pin a widget that shows all of your notes for a single place - great for tracking multiple visits to the same spot over time. Available on Android and iOS 17+.

1. Add a Local Notes - Place Notes widget to your home screen
2. Pick a place from your existing pinned notes (places are grouped by Google Place ID, or by name for older notes)
3. Configure which sections to show: title, distance, visit date, and note body text
4. Choose a widget color from 19 available colors

The widget displays a place-name header at the top (with optional distance from your current location), and a scrollable list of up to 20 notes for that place, sorted by visit date with newest first. Each row shows the visit date and the first two lines of the note body.

When "Show Distance" is enabled, the background refresh interval keeps the distance tracking your current location.

Tapping a note opens it in the app.

iOS lock-screen and StandBy support. The Place Notes widget can also be added to your iPhone lock screen or StandBy mode. Two layouts are available: - Inline: A single strap with the place name and note count (e.g. "Coffee Shop · 5 notes") - Rectangular: A wider pill showing the place name with a snippet from the most recent note

(No circular layout - a place name doesn't render legibly in 76 points of round real estate.)

Widget Deep Links

Tapping a note in the widget opens the app directly to that note's detail screen, bypassing the home screen. Tapping the + button opens a new note form.

Auto-Refresh

By default, widgets update their data when you open the app. Pro users can enable Widget Background Sync in Settings, which keeps the widget data fresh even when the app isn't open. This works by storing a Firebase refresh token so the widget extension can independently fetch fresh data.

Data Shown

Widgets display: note place name, note type, rating, note text (up to 3 lines), and distance from your current location.

Android Auto

Android Auto support is a Plus feature. Local Notes only appears in the Android Auto app drawer for Plus and Pro users. Free users tapping into the app from the head unit see a "Local Notes Plus required" message; upgrade on the phone to unlock.

If you have an Android phone and a car (or aftermarket head unit) that supports Android Auto, Local Notes shows up in the in-car app drawer under the POI category. Read-only for v1 - you browse and navigate, you don't create notes while driving.

What you see in the car

• Nearby Notes screen - The car-side map with your closest places pinned on it. Markers use the post-it shape from the phone app, tinted with the color you chose for each note type (or your single-color preference). Notes are grouped by place: if you've got 5 notes at home and 1 at the coffee shop, you see 2 rows ("Home - 5 notes", "Coffee Shop - 1 note") instead of 5 home rows filling the screen. The list refreshes while you drive - as your location changes, the closest places bubble to the top (max once per minute).
• Pagination - Up to 6 places fit on the map at once (the head unit's driver-distraction policy caps it there). If you have more nearby, tap the chevron buttons in the header to flip through pages. The page indicator shows in the title (e.g. "Nearby Notes (2/3)"). The chevrons stay visible at page boundaries but grey out when there's nowhere to go.
• Filter by type - Tap Filter in the header and pick a note type from the selection list to narrow the places. Useful for "show me only the tips for nearby places". Pick "All notes" to clear. While a filter is active the button reads ● Filter so you can tell at a glance.
• Notes at a place - Tap any pinned place to see every note there, each as its own row over the map (post-it marker pinned at the place). Single-note places open the same screen with one row - there's no separate detail view to drill into anymore. Tap Navigate in the header to hand off to your default in-car navigation app (Google Maps, Waze, etc.).
• Read aloud - Tap any note row and the car reads the note's full text out loud over the speakers (your music ducks while it talks, and it politely shuts up if a phone call or navigation prompt needs the audio). Tap the same row again to stop, or tap a different note to switch. Leaving the screen stops playback.
• In-car Nearby alerts - The existing Nearby Note notifications you get on your phone also surface on the head unit when Android Auto is connected. Tap the in-car alert and it opens that note's place screen on the head unit.
• Distance units honored - Distances on the in-car list and detail screens follow your Distance Units setting (Settings → Distance Units). Imperial shows feet under ~1000ft, miles beyond; metric shows meters under 1km, kilometers beyond.

Getting started

1. Make sure Local Notes is installed on your phone with at least one note that has location coordinates (every note created via the app has these).
2. Plug your phone into a car that supports Android Auto, or connect over wireless if your car supports it.
3. In your in-car app drawer, look for Local Notes.

Testing a beta or sideloaded build

If you're running a beta build (Internal Testing track or sideloaded), Android Auto requires Developer Mode to be enabled in its companion app before the app appears in the car:

1. Open the Android Auto app on your phone.
2. Tap About Android Auto ten times to enable developer mode.
3. Tap the overflow menu > Developer settings > toggle Unknown sources on.
4. Reconnect to the car.

Released Play Store builds don't need this step.

CarPlay

CarPlay support is a Plus feature, the iOS counterpart to Android Auto. If you have an iPhone and a car (or head unit) that supports CarPlay, Local Notes appears on the CarPlay home screen. Read-only - you browse and navigate, you don't create notes while driving. Free users who open it see a "Local Notes Plus required" message; upgrade on the phone to unlock.

What you see in the car

• Map + place cards - A host-rendered map with your nearest places pinned (post-it markers tinted with your note-type colors, same as the phone map), plus a scrollable strip of place cards. Each card shows the place name with the distance and note count on one line (e.g. "700 ft - 3 notes"), just like Android Auto. The list re-sorts by proximity as you drive (about once a minute).
• Pagination - The map shows up to 12 places at once (Apple's cap). If you have more nearby, the ◀ ▶ buttons at the top flip through pages of the full list, nearest first. The boundary button greys out when there's nowhere to go.
• Notes at a place - Tap a place card and its notes open immediately - one row per note, with the note text up top and the type (and rating) underneath. Single-note places open the same screen with one row; there's no separate detail view anymore. Navigate sits in the top bar to hand off to Apple Maps.
• Read aloud - Tap any note row and the car reads the note's full text out loud over the speakers (your music ducks while it talks). The speaking row shows a little speaker icon. Tap the same row again to stop, or tap a different note to switch. Going Back stops playback.
• Filter by type - Tap Filter to narrow the list to one note type (the selected type gets a checkmark in the picker), or pick "All notes" to clear. While a filter is active the button reads ● Filter. The filter searches all your nearby places, not just the closest screenful.
• Distance units honored - Distances follow your iPhone's measurement-system setting (Settings > General > Language & Region > Measurement System).

Unlike Android Auto, the CarPlay note screens don't show a map behind the note text - Apple's Driving Task category doesn't allow it - so the map lives on the main screen and the note screens are text-only. Photos are never shown in CarPlay (Apple's driver-distraction rules forbid images in motion).

Getting started

1. Make sure Local Notes is installed on your iPhone with at least one note that has location coordinates (every note created via the app has these).
2. Connect your iPhone to a CarPlay-equipped car (cable or wireless).
3. On the CarPlay home screen, tap Local Notes.

Statistics

View insights about your notes. Open from the overflow menu > Statistics.

Basic Stats (All Users)

• Total Notes - How many notes you've created
• Average Rating - Mean star rating across rated notes
• Favorites - How many notes are favorited
• Notes by Type - Pie chart showing the distribution of note types

Pro Charts

• Notes Over Time - Line chart showing when you've been creating notes (per month)
• Rating Distribution - Bar chart of how many notes have each star rating
• Top 10 Places - Your highest-rated places
• Notes by Template - Breakdown of which templates you use most

Pro charts are locked behind a blur overlay for Free and Plus users, with an upgrade prompt.

Settings

Access Settings from the overflow menu on the home screen. On iPad in landscape, Settings uses a two-column layout with reordered sections for better use of the wider screen.

Account

• Guest mode indicator - Shows that notes are stored on-device only
• Upgrade to a cloud account - Upgrade from guest mode to a signed-in account. Your existing guest notes, collections, and photos are uploaded to Firestore atomically (batched writes + post-upload verification) and then replace your local copy. If the upgrade fails midway, your local notes are preserved and you can retry
• Email and provider info - Shows your signed-in email, avatar, and auth method (Google/Apple/Email)
• Sign Out - Signs out with confirmation dialog
• Delete Account - Permanently deletes your account and all cloud data, including notes, collections, shared collections, and photos (requires recent authentication)

Appearance

• Theme - Choose between System (follows device setting), Light, or Dark mode via segmented button. Changes apply instantly.
• Widget Color - Pick a color for your home screen widget from the 19 available marker colors. Changes apply to both Android and iOS widgets immediately.

Notifications & Sync (Android/iOS only, not shown on web)

• Widget Background Sync - Toggle periodic background updates for home screen widgets (Pro only). Syncs to native UserDefaults on iOS.
• Nearby Notifications - Toggle location-based alerts (see Nearby Notifications)
• Location Permission Status - Shows your current location permission (Always/When In Use/Denied) when nearby notifications are enabled
• Notification Cooldown - Slider for time between repeat notifications (appears when nearby notifications are enabled)
• Distance Units - Dropdown to toggle between km and mi (appears when nearby notifications are enabled)
• Place link reminders - On by default. When on, saving a note with no Google place linked shows a brief tip suggesting you attach one later. Turn it off to silence that tip; the "not linked" icon on unlinked notes (see Unlinked Notes) stays regardless. Syncs across your devices.
• Show notes in iOS search (iOS only) - Toggle indexing of your notes into Apple's Spotlight. When on, swiping down on the iOS home screen and typing surfaces your notes by title, place name, address, type, or note text. Tap a result to open the note. Off by default; flipping it off immediately wipes the system-side index. Sign-out and account deletion also wipe it so prior account's notes don't surface for the next user

Permissions (web only)

• Location - Shows your current location permission status with a button to request it. On web the section also indicates whether the active fix is Precise or Approximate, so you can tell at a glance whether you're sharing high-accuracy GPS or just a coarse "block-level" fix. If you've already denied permission in the browser, the button surfaces a hint to update the site's location setting in your browser - browsers can't re-prompt once denied.

Cross-Device Preference Sync (Pro)

Pro users who are signed in get automatic preference syncing across all their devices via Firestore. The following preferences are synced:

• View mode - Split, Map, List, or Grid
• Sort preference - Sort field and ascending/descending order
• Marker colors - Color mode (by type or single), individual type colors, and selected single color
• Theme - System, Light, or Dark
• Nearby notifications - Enabled/disabled state
• Distance units - km or mi

Preferences sync automatically when you sign in and whenever you change a setting. This means your app looks and behaves the same way on every device - no need to reconfigure after signing in on a new phone or tablet.

Data

• Export All Notes - Export to CSV (Plus+) or PDF (Pro)
• Import Notes - Import from a Local Notes CSV file (Pro only)

Subscription

• Tier-aware Subscription section. The big CTA button, supporting actions, and "Current Plan" label all adapt to the plan you're on. Every purchase or plan switch routes through the paywall, so you always see subscription terms, Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy before any payment prompt.
• Free - Status tile reads "Current Plan: Free". One prominent CTA button labeled "Upgrade to Local Notes Plus & Pro" shows starting prices for both tiers (fetched live from the App Store / Google Play). Restore Purchases link below.
• Plus (no ads, one-time) - Status tile reads "Current Plan: Plus". CTA switches to "Upgrade to Local Notes Pro" showing just the Pro starting price. Restore Purchases still available.
• Pro (Monthly) - Status tile reads "Current Plan: Pro (Monthly)". CTA becomes "Switch to Local Notes Pro (Yearly)" with the yearly starting price. Below that, an amber "Manage Current Subscription" button jumps straight to App Store / Play Store for cancel, pause, or payment changes. Restore Purchases still available.
• Pro (Yearly) - Same layout as Pro Monthly but the CTA points the other way: "Switch to Local Notes Pro (Monthly)" with the monthly starting price.
• Paywall feature table highlights your current tier. The column matching your active plan is tinted in the comparison table so you can see at a glance what you have vs. what you'd gain by upgrading.
• "Purchased" badge on owned products. The paywall always shows all three products (Plus / Pro Monthly / Pro Yearly) regardless of tier, but the one(s) you already own display a "Purchased" badge in the top-right corner and become non-interactive. If you bought the one-time Plus product and later subscribed to Pro, you own both - so both Plus and your current Pro billing period show a "Purchased" badge together. A Pro user who never bought Plus can still purchase it. Purchased/switch state on the paywall and in Settings now updates instantly when a transaction completes, without needing to close and reopen the screen.
• Subscription Expired Dialog - If your Pro subscription expires between app launches, a dialog appears letting you know, mentions any content that now exceeds your plan limits, and offers a "Renew" button that takes you directly to the paywall to resubscribe.
• Guest users can browse plans but must sign in to purchase.
• On web: shows "In-app purchases available on mobile".

Feedback and Support

• User Guide - Opens the online user guide at localnotes.nicksaulino.com/guide
• Send Feedback - Opens an email to localnotes-support@nicksaulino.com with your app version pre-filled
• Replay Tour - Walk through the onboarding tour again to review the app's key features

About

• Version - Current app version number (from package_info_plus)
• Changelog - Opens an in-app changelog screen showing version history and changes
• Privacy Policy link
• Terms of Service link
• Open-Source Licenses - View licenses for all dependencies

Subscription Tiers

Local Notes uses a three-tier system:

* Android Auto support requires an Android device.

Purchases are handled through Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iOS). The web version does not support purchases - you must buy on mobile. Purchases sync across devices when signed in with the same account.

Pro subscriptions have a 7-day grace period after expiration before downgrading. If you cancel a subscription, it remains active until the end of your current paid period - you keep all Pro features until then.

What Happens When You Downgrade

When your subscription expires or you switch to a lower tier, your existing content is never deleted. Instead, content that exceeds your new plan's limits is visually gated:

• Photos - Photos beyond your tier's per-note limit are blurred with a lock icon overlay. Tapping a locked photo opens the paywall so you can upgrade to regain access.
• Collections - Collections beyond your tier's limit are dimmed with a lock icon in the collections list. Tapping a locked collection opens the paywall instead of opening the collection.
• Collection chips on notes - Collection badges on individual notes also respect the lock state, appearing dimmed for locked collections.

This means you can always see that your content exists, but you need to upgrade to interact with it again. Nothing is lost - upgrading restores full access immediately.

Web Version

The web version at localnotes.nicksaulino.com is Pro-only. You must have an active Pro subscription to sign in and access your notes on the web.

Works on web: - Sign in (Google, Email) - View, create, edit, delete notes - Map with markers - Search, filter, sort - Collections - Dark/light theme - All view modes (split, map, list, grid) - Responsive layout for desktop browsers

Not available on web: - Photos (upload/display) - Nearby notifications and geofencing - Home screen widgets - In-app purchases (must purchase on mobile app first) - App shortcuts (long-press actions) - Share-to intent - Guest mode - Background location services

Accessibility

Local Notes is designed to be usable by everyone, including users who rely on assistive technologies.

Screen Reader Support

The app includes comprehensive screen reader support (TalkBack on Android, VoiceOver on iOS) across all screens. Interactive elements have descriptive labels so screen reader users can navigate the full app - from creating notes and browsing the map to managing collections and adjusting settings.

Color Contrast

All text and interactive elements meet WCAG AA color contrast requirements in both light and dark themes, ensuring readability for users with low vision or color sensitivity.

Touch Targets

Buttons, toggles, and other interactive controls are sized to meet minimum touch target guidelines, making the app easier to use for people with motor impairments.

Tips and Tricks

• App shortcuts - Long-press the app icon on Android/iOS to see quick actions: "New Note" and "Search Notes." These jump straight to the relevant screen.
• Share to reviews - From any note, use the share menu to copy your thoughts formatted for Google Reviews or Yelp
• Landscape mode - Rotate your device for a wider map view (60% map, 40% list in split mode)
• Tablet layout - On tablets (600dp+), the app uses wider content panels and side-by-side layouts
• Distance sorting - Sort by distance to find notes near your current location - great for exploring a new area
• Guest to signed-in - You can start as a guest and upgrade to a cloud account later from Settings or the paywall. Your existing guest notes, collections, and photos transfer to the cloud account when you upgrade (they're batched to Firestore and verified before your local copy is replaced). Tapping back on the sign-in screen returns you to guest mode with notes intact.
• Place data refresh - If a place's details (phone, website, address) look outdated, the app tracks when place data was last fetched (90-day threshold) and offers a refresh button
• Bulk operations - Long-press any note to enter selection mode, then apply actions to many notes at once
• Share from other apps - On Android, share Google Maps links or text directly to Local Notes to pre-fill a new note
• Offline use - The app works fully offline using local SQLite storage. Changes sync when you're back online.
• On-device encryption - Your notes are encrypted at rest on your device using SQLite3MultipleCiphers. The encryption key is stored securely in your phone's keychain (iOS) or keystore (Android).
• Pull to refresh - Pull down on the note list to force a fresh data sync from the cloud
• Travel planning - Use collections to group trip notes, then activate Travel Mode to get an optimized route
• Photo compression - Photos are automatically compressed before upload, so you don't need to worry about file sizes
• Widget deep links - Tap a note in your home screen widget to jump directly to that note in the app

Complete Feature List

A quick-reference list of everything Local Notes can do:

Core

• Pin notes to real-world places via Google Places search
• 4 note types: Experience, Tip, Plan, Warning
• 0-5 star ratings with half-star increments
• Visit date tracking
• Favorite notes
• Free-form note text
• Unlinked notes (no place attached)

Place Details

• Auto-filled address, phone, website, Google Maps link, place types
• Nearby place suggestions when creating a note from the map
• Tappable phone numbers, websites, and map links
• Place data refresh after 90 days
• Sibling note detection (multiple notes at same place)

Photos

• Camera and gallery photo picker with multi-image selection
• Auto-compression (~500KB target)
• Full-width swipeable photo carousel on note form
• Fullscreen photo viewer with pinch-to-zoom (up to 10x), swipe navigation, and page indicators
• Edit mode: X to remove photos, "Add Photo" card at end of carousel
• Cloud storage (Firebase) for signed-in users
• Local storage for guest users

Maps

• Interactive Google Map rendered as a persistent full-screen layer (never resized between view modes)
• Edge-to-edge map extending behind system bars
• List panel overlays the map with rounded top corners in split view
• GoogleMap padding for correct marker and control centering
• Fast marker loading with optimized icon generation and non-blocking cloud sync
• Multi-note markers with count badges
• Themed tooltips on marker tap showing place name, note type color, and note text preview (grouped markers show count and types)
• Auto-fit markers with zoom animation
• Smart zoom for multi-continent notes - focuses on nearby cluster instead of zooming out to the whole globe
• Centers on user location when no notes exist for a smooth new-user experience
• Light/dark map styling
• Portrait and landscape layouts

Search, Filter, and Sort

• Inline search - filter icon transforms the floating pill bar into a search field
• Tune icon in search bar opens the advanced filter panel
• Real-time text search (place names and note body)
• Filter by note type, favorites, rating range, date range, distance, address
• Sort by date added, name, rating, distance, visited date, note type
• Ascending/descending for all sort options
• Saved preferences between sessions

Bulk Operations

• Long-press to enter selection mode
• Floating pill-shaped selection bar overlaying the map
• Select all/deselect all
• Fade/highlight visual treatment for selected vs. unselected notes
• Bulk delete, favorite, change type, add to collection, toggle notifications, export, create travel route

Collections

• Create collections with name, description, and emoji via emoji picker with categories and search
• Add/remove notes from collections
• Tappable collection badges on notes navigate to the collection
• Export collections as CSV or PDF
• Collection detail screen with note list
• Tier-based limits (Free: 0, Plus: 3, Pro: unlimited)

Shared Collections (Pro)

• Invite members by email (7-day expiry)
• Owner and Editor roles
• Real-time activity feed
• Changes popup on app open when other members made changes
• Upgrade prompt for non-Pro users who receive invites
• Leave or remove members

Travel Mode (Pro)

• Nearest-neighbor route optimization
• Numbered markers with polyline routes
• "From your location" label on first stop
• Check off visited stops
• One-tap Google Maps directions
• Total and per-segment distance display

Export and Import

• CSV export (UTF-8 with BOM for Excel)
• PDF export (formatted A4 document)
• Import wizard with duplicate detection
• Share-to intent (Android) for Google Maps links, text, and CSV files

Notifications

• Nearby alerts via native geofencing or background polling
• Configurable radius per note
• Per-note content toggles: note text, rating, note type, address
• Notification grouping: Off, Place, or All
• Cooldown timer (30 min to 24 hours)
• Notification actions: Open, Snooze (24h), Mute (permanent)
• Notifications are colorized with the note's type color (Android)
• Notifications preserved across app updates and device reboots
• Notifications group together based on grouping setting with improved summary text for place-based groups
• Dual engine: native geofence (primary) + Workmanager (fallback)
• Location permission status display in Settings
• "Always Allow" location dialog explaining geofence requirements

Home Screen Widgets

• Android and iOS native widgets
• Nearest notes sorted by distance
• Widgets show up to 3 lines of note text
• List widget with native configuration (toggle note type, rating, distance, note text visibility; choose widget color)
• Single note widget with configurable sections and colors (Android, iOS 17+)
• Single note widget body text fills all available space without clipping (including iOS small size)
• Single note widget is scrollable on Android for reading long notes
• Single note widget configurable background refresh interval (15m/30m/1hr/2hr/4hr) when distance is shown
• Deep link to specific notes
• Quick-add new note button
• Pro auto-refresh (Widget Background Sync)
• Quick Settings tile (Android) - "Quick Note" tile in the system Quick Settings panel. Drag it into your active tiles once via the QS edit panel, then tap from anywhere (including the lock screen) to open a new note prefilled with your current location
• Spotlight indexing (iOS) - opt-in toggle in Settings to make your notes searchable from the iOS home screen / lock screen / Siri Suggestions. Tap a Spotlight result to open the matching note directly
• Share into Local Notes from any app (iOS + Android) - Local Notes appears in the system share sheet. Tap Share in Maps, Apple Maps, Photos, Safari, Yelp, etc. and pick Local Notes to open a new note prefilled. Place URLs auto-fill location and place name; photos with location data drop a pin where the photo was taken; plain text and URLs land in the body

Statistics

• Total notes, average rating, favorites count
• Notes by type (pie chart)
• Notes over time (line chart, Pro)
• Rating distribution (bar chart, Pro)
• Top 10 places (Pro)
• Template usage breakdown (Pro)

Templates (Pro)

• 5 built-in templates: Restaurant, Hike, Hotel, Shop, Bar
• Structured fields: text, single-select, multi-select
• Custom templates

Cloud and Sync

• Firebase Firestore cloud sync
• Real-time listener for live updates
• Offline-first local SQLite (Drift) storage
• Instant note loading on app launch - no loading spinner
• Instant view mode restore on launch - no flash of default view
• Automatic sync on app resume (60-second cooldown)
• Cross-device access when signed in
• Cross-device preference sync - view mode, sort, marker colors, theme, notifications, distance units (Pro)

Authentication

• Google Sign-In
• Apple Sign-In (iOS)
• Email/password with verification
• Guest mode (local only)
• Password reset

Monetization

• Three tiers: Free, Plus ($4.99), Pro ($1.99/mo or $19.99/yr)
• Native ads (free tier only)
• In-app purchases (Google Play and App Store)
• View Plans button for browsing subscription options
• Guest mode paywall (browse plans but must sign in to purchase)
• Auto-restore purchases on sign-in with popup confirmation
• Pro plan switching between monthly and yearly billing in Settings
• Manage Subscription link to app store subscription page
• Restore purchases
• 7-day grace period on Pro expiry
• Subscription expired dialog with "Renew" button linking to paywall (mentions content exceeding plan limits)
• Cancelled subscriptions stay active until the paid period ends
• Downgrade content gating - photos beyond tier limit are blurred with lock icon, collections beyond limit are dimmed with lock icon
• Locked content opens paywall on tap instead of being deleted
• Collection chips on notes respect lock state for gated collections
• Cross-device purchase sync via Firestore
• Themed floating snackbar toasts for purchase confirmations

Appearance

• Light theme ("Modern Parchment")
• Dark theme ("Midnight Cartography")
• System theme option
• Nunito font family throughout
• Material Design 3

Accessibility

• Comprehensive screen reader support (TalkBack and VoiceOver) across all screens
• WCAG AA color contrast compliance in light and dark themes
• Accessible touch targets for all interactive controls

Performance and Reliability

• Firebase Crashlytics for error tracking
• Firebase Performance traces
• Firebase Analytics event tracking
• Debounced API calls
• Image compression
• Session token optimization for Places API

Platform Features

• Android, iOS, and web (Pro only)
• App launcher shortcuts (New Note, Search)
• Share-to intent handling (Android)
• Responsive layouts for phones, tablets, and desktop browsers
• Metric and imperial distance units