In 2025, Google Keep received several updates including design refreshes with Material 3, new features like note sorting, and UI improvements, maintaining its simplicity and speed. The article explores the potential future of note-taking apps, especially with AI advancements, suggesting a more proactive, assistive, and integrated experience could be on the horizon, possibly evolving into a smarter, more powerful tool beyond the current basic functionality.
Google Keep is transitioning from its legacy reminders system to Google Tasks, unifying to-dos and reminders across Google Workspace. The migration is rolling out now, with reminders in Keep being automatically saved to Tasks, which are accessible via Calendar and Gemini. Location reminders are no longer supported, and Keep reminder notifications will cease, requiring users to have Calendar or Tasks installed. The update aims to streamline task management across Google's productivity tools.
Google is transitioning from Google Keep's built-in reminders to Google Tasks, which will handle notifications and allow viewing, editing, and completing tasks across Calendar, Keep, and Tasks. Location-based reminders will be discontinued, and there are some limits and adjustments for long, repeating, or distant future tasks. The migration is expected in the second half of 2025.
The article discusses how the author improved their Google Keep note organization by using labels for filtering, deleting old notes, archiving unnecessary ones, and moving some notes to more advanced apps like Notion for better management, especially for detailed or complex information.
Google Keep is rolling out a new sorting feature for its Android app, allowing users to organize notes by custom order, date created, or date modified, enhancing note management. The update is in version 5.25.302.02.90 and is currently limited in availability.
The article critiques four Google apps—Keep, Tasks, YouTube Music, and Wallpapers—highlighting their underdeveloped features and suggesting they need significant upgrades to meet user expectations and compete with rivals, despite Google's strength in creating quality apps.
Google Keep for Android is receiving a Material 3 Expressive redesign, featuring a new app bar, updated note buttons, and a refreshed homepage layout, with the update rolling out gradually in version 5.25.282.00.90.
Google Keep is set to receive a significant update that will allow users to search within individual notes, making it easier to find specific details in long notes. The new feature, called 'Find in note,' was spotted in version 5.25.282.00.90 but is not yet functional, as attempts to use it currently cause crashes. Until the feature is fully rolled out, users can use the browser's find on page feature as a workaround.
Google Keep is potentially adding a 'Find in note' feature that would allow users to search within individual notes, addressing a long-standing user request. The feature was discovered in an APK teardown but is not yet functional, indicating it is still in development. This enhancement could improve the app's usability for long or detailed notes, similar to features available in Apple Notes and Samsung Notes.
Google has removed the Apple Watch version of its Keep note-taking app, leaving only iPhone and iPad versions, and reducing the number of Google apps available on watchOS to three. The app, introduced in 2019, was largely neglected and lacked updates, and its removal confirms reports that Google planned to deprecate it. Users will need to wait for a native Notes app from Apple in watchOS 26 this fall.
Google Keep is beginning to receive a Material 3 Expressive redesign, featuring visual updates to the search bar, toolbar, and search filters, giving the app a more modern look aligned with Android's new design language. The rollout is gradual and currently limited to some users, but it is expected to expand soon.
Google has removed the Apple Watch app for Google Keep in its latest update, citing the app's lack of recent updates and platform support, while continuing to support Keep on Wear OS and other platforms. The removal may impact users who relied on quick note access on their wrist, especially with upcoming watchOS updates adding a native Notes app.
Google Keep for Android is preparing to introduce a floating bottom bar with a pill-shaped container featuring an oblong button for creating a new note at the center, flanked by options for creating a new list and a new drawing. The new design, enabled with version 5.24.x, takes up less space than the current interface, allowing users to see more content. Google has removed the options for creating new audio and photo notes from the bottom bar, but users should still be able to attach both when inside a note.
Google Keep offers a variety of features to help users organize their notes, including customizable looks, labels for organization, to-do lists, collaboration, reminders, pinning notes, extracting text from images, hand-drawn scribbles, and the ability to convert notes into Google Docs. The mobile app also includes additional features such as voice notes with transcription, adding photos, and text formatting.
Note-taking apps have become essential for organizing and storing information, and there are many options available. Evernote, despite its reputation and cost, still offers a range of features and AI capabilities. Google Keep is a simple and interconnected option for those in the Google ecosystem, while Apple Notes is a solid choice for Apple users. Notion is a highly flexible app with a variety of formats and features, while OneNote offers a wide range of media options and syncs with other Microsoft apps. Other notable apps include Bear Notes, Joplin, Simplenote, Obsidian, and Zoho Notebook, each with their own unique features and capabilities.
