Annotations in Reading Tab
See your marked passages, open and delete your notes, and use the iPad Annotations panel in the Reading tab
Annotations live in the Reading tab of your study guide. You mark a passage, attach a note to it, and the passage stays marked in the text so you can tap it later. Your notes themselves are not shown inline: you see the mark, and you open the note from it.
Accessing Your Annotations
Navigate to the study note you want to view.
Tap the "Reading" tab to view your study content with your marks.
Scroll through the page. A passage with a note is drawn with a double underline in the colour's darker shade. A highlight with no note keeps its pastel background.
What You'll See
Marks in the Text
- Highlight — A pastel background in Yellow, Blue, Green, or Pink
- Underline and Strikeout — A line under or through the text in the colour's darker shade
- Passage with a note — A double underline instead of a background, whichever mark you chose
Note Cards (iPad Landscape)
On an iPad in landscape, the Annotations panel lists your notes as cards. Each card shows:
- A coloured tile with an icon for the type: text, microphone, or pencil
- A title — the title you gave the note. If you left it blank, the app uses the start of your text, or the recognised handwriting, or a default such as "Typed Note", "Handwritten Note", or "Voice Note"
- A pill labelled Text, Voice, or Write
- When you made it, shown as a relative date such as "5 minutes ago"
Tap a card to open the note.
Creating New Annotations
Long-press the text you want to annotate in the Reading tab. Notesmakr opens its own pop-up menu.
Pick a colour (Yellow, Blue, Green, or Pink; Yellow is preselected). Then either mark the text instantly with Highlight, Underline, or Strikeout, or add a note under NOTE:
- Text — Opens the text editor
- Voice — Opens the voice recorder (up to 60 seconds, and a title is required)
- Write — Opens the drawing canvas
Use the editor to create your note (detailed in the next guides).
Tap Save. The passage is marked straight away with a double underline.
Viewing Annotations
To read, add to, or change a note, tap the marked passage in the Reading tab. A sheet opens with:
- The notes on that passage — Tap one to open it. Voice notes show their length and a play button
- Change Color — Switch the mark to another colour
- Add Another — Attach one more note to the same passage
- Delete Highlight — Remove the mark and all of its notes
On a phone the sheet slides up from the bottom. On an iPad it appears as a card in the centre of the screen.
iPad Landscape Split View
On an iPad in landscape, you can also see all your notes in a panel next to the page. The button only appears on the Reading tab:
Rotate your iPad to landscape orientation while viewing the Reading tab of a study note.
Tap the sticky-note icon in the top bar. The screen splits 50/50:
- Left half — Your study content (Reading tab)
- Right half — An Annotations panel with a count of your notes
Scroll the page on the left while your note cards stay in view on the right, so you can cross-check your insights against the original material.
Tap any card in the panel to open it: text and handwritten notes open in their editor, and voice notes open a player.
Tap the icon again to return to the single-page view.
The panel lists your notes newest first, each as a card with its type tile, title, type pill, and date. It is for finding and opening notes; to delete one, tap its marked passage in the text.
Viewing Annotation Details
Tap a marked passage and choose the note in the sheet, or tap its card in the iPad panel.
The note opens in its own screen:
- Text annotations — The text editor, with your title and content ready to edit
- Handwritten annotations — The drawing canvas with your saved drawing
- Voice annotations — A player. Voice notes can be played but not re-recorded
Use the back arrow to return to the Reading tab.
Deleting Annotations
To remove a single note:
Find the passage in the Reading tab and tap it to open its sheet.
Tap the trash icon on the row of the note you want to remove.
In the Delete Annotation dialog, tap Delete. Tap Cancel to keep the note.
To remove the whole mark with all of its notes, tap the red Delete Highlight button in the same sheet and confirm.
Empty State
If you haven't created any annotations yet, the iPad Annotations panel shows Pippy with:
- "Long press on text to add annotations" — a hint from Pippy
- "No annotations yet" — you haven't added any notes
- "Highlight text to add notes, voice recordings, or handwritten annotations" — what to do next
There is no add button in the panel. Create your first annotation by long-pressing text in the Reading tab.
Annotations vs Study Notes
It's important to understand the difference:
Study Notes
- The main simplified explanation of your source material
- Created by Notesmakr from your source material, and organised into the Overview, Reading, and Study Tools tabs
- The foundation for quizzes, flashcards, and mind maps
Annotations
- Your additional thoughts, insights, and explanations
- Completely freeform—no structure required
- Multiple formats (text, voice, handwritten)
- Personal explanations using the Feynman Technique
Think of study notes as your "textbook" and annotations as your "margin notes and journal."
Best Practices
Mix Annotation Types
Don't limit yourself to one format. Use:
- Text annotations for detailed explanations
- Handwritten annotations for visual concepts
- Voice annotations for verbal practice
Review Regularly
Annotations capture your thinking at a specific moment in your learning journey. Reviewing old annotations often reveals how much your understanding has deepened!
Add Annotations While Learning
Don't wait until you "fully understand" to add annotations. Capture your thoughts, questions, and confusion as you learn—it's all part of the process.
Add More as You Learn
As your understanding deepens, tap a marked passage and choose Add Another to attach new clarifications and insights. Learning is iterative!
Use for Exam Prep
Right before a test, scroll through the Reading tab and tap your double-underlined passages to revisit your notes. These are often the insights and "aha!" moments that stick with you during exams.
Next Steps
Ready to create your first annotation? Learn how to use each annotation type:
- Typed Annotations — Write detailed explanations
- Handwritten Annotations — Draw diagrams and sketches
- Voice Annotations — Record audio explanations