iOS 17 Notes and Reminders Features: What’s New
Apple introduced several useful improvements to the Notes and Reminders apps in iOS 17, making the built-in productivity tools more powerful and convenient for everyday use. While the update doesn’t completely redesign either app, it adds a number of highly requested features that improve organization, collaboration, and task management.
Notes App Updates
Linking Notes Together
iOS 17 now allows users to create links between notes, making it easier to connect related information and build Wiki-style documentation inside the Notes app.
This feature is especially useful for organizing projects, research, study materials, or personal knowledge bases by linking multiple notes together.
Inline PDFs and Scanned Documents
The Notes app now supports inline PDFs, allowing users to insert PDF files directly into a note and interact with them without leaving the app.
Users can:
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Read PDFs
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Annotate documents
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Collaborate on files
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View scanned documents inline
This functionality works on both iPhone and iPad, making Notes more useful for productivity and document management.
New Formatting Options
Apple added several formatting improvements to Notes in iOS 17.
New options include:
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Block quotes
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Monostyled text formatting
These additions provide more flexibility when creating structured notes, code snippets, or styled text.
Open Notes in Pages
Notes can now be opened directly in the Pages app for advanced editing and formatting.
This integration makes it easier to turn simple notes into more polished documents with enhanced layouts and design tools.
Reminders App Updates
Automatic Grocery List Sorting
One of the standout additions to Reminders is the new Groceries list type.
When creating a grocery list, the app can automatically organize items into categories such as:
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Produce
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Dairy
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Meat
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Bakery
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Frozen Foods
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Snacks & Candy
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Household Items
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Personal Care
This organization helps users shop more efficiently by grouping similar items together automatically.
Apple’s system can even recognize many specific brands and products, making the feature surprisingly accurate. Items the app cannot categorize remain in an uncategorized section, and users can also create custom categories manually.
Custom Sections
Any reminder list in iOS 17 can now include custom sections for better organization.
Users can create sections through the options menu and organize reminders using simple drag-and-drop controls.
This feature makes large task lists easier to manage by separating reminders into categories or stages.
Column View
Reminders now includes a View as Columns option.
When enabled, sections appear side-by-side in a column layout similar to project management tools, making it easier to visualize tasks across multiple categories.
Users can switch between traditional list view and column view at any time.
Interactive Widgets
iOS 17 introduces interactive widgets across the Home Screen and Lock Screen, and Reminders fully supports the feature.
Users can now complete reminders directly from the widget without opening the app, making task management faster and more convenient.
Early Reminder Notifications
Apple added more flexible reminder scheduling options in iOS 17.
When setting a reminder with a date, users can now choose to receive notifications well in advance, including:
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1 day before
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2 days before
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1 week before
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2 weeks before
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1 month before
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3 months before
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6 months before
There is also a custom option for setting personalized advance notifications.
Final Thoughts
The Notes and Reminders updates in iOS 17 focus on improving productivity, organization, and ease of use. Features like note linking, grocery sorting, interactive widgets, and inline PDFs make Apple’s built-in apps far more capable for both personal and professional workflows.