Apple’s iOS is widely regarded as one of the best smart operating systems in the 21st Century. It comes packed with a number of well-designed and useful apps for iPhone users. iPhone Notes is one of these apps. Complete with a number of noteworthy features (pun intended!), the Notes app is a handy tool to record things like shopping lists, to-do lists, workflows, reminders, and even your thoughts.
Whenever you need to go through them, you can use your iPhone or sign in to your iCloud using an Apple device. But what if you don’t have access to an iPhone, iPad, or Mac? For instance, what if your phone dies when you’re trying to access a note about Spectrum internet near you? Or if you’re in the middle of cooking using a recipe on Notes and you run out of battery? Apple has a closed ecosystem, which makes it difficult to access Notes on non-Apple devices. But it is not impossible, especially with everyday applications like Gmail. This blog will show you how.
Adding Your Gmail Account to Your Device
If you haven’t already, the first step you need to take is to add your Gmail account to your device. If you already have your Gmail account added, which is very likely, you can move on to the next step. If you haven’t, the process is very simple and takes just a few seconds. Here’s how you can add your Gmail account to your iOS device:
- Go to the “Settings” tab on your iOS device.
- Open the “Passwords and Accounts” screen.
- Tap “Add Account” and select Google from the list.
- When prompted, enter your Google username and password.
- Follow the instructions to add your Gmail account to your device.
Enable Notes in Gmail Sync
Once you have added your Gmail account to your iOS device, you can now start the process of syncing data from your iPhone notes to your Gmail. To do this, you need to first enable Gmail sync. Here’s how you can go about that:
- Go to the “Settings” tab.
- Open “Passwords and Accounts” and select Gmail.
- Toggle the “Notes” option to on.
This means your Gmail sync is now enabled to access iPhone notes as well. However, you aren’t done yet. There are still a couple of steps left.
Add Notes to View on Gmail
Just because you have enabled sync in Gmail, you won’t be able to access all the Notes stored on your iCloud. It also does not mean your notes will begin syncing automatically. Enabling sync in Gmail means that your iPhone Notes will create a new section titled “Gmail”. Only the notes that you type out in this section will be available to view on Gmail.
If you want to access specific notes from non-Apple devices, it would be best to type them in this section. Apple does not allow you to create subfolders under the Gmail Notes section, unlike iCloud notes. By default, all notes go in the Notes folder instead of Gmail. Be very careful to use the correct folder when creating Notes.
Access Synced Notes via Gmail
You’re about done syncing your iPhone Notes to your Gmail account. Now it is time to test whether the sync is working correctly. If the process has worked, you should be able to see a “Notes” section in your Gmail account, both on web and mobile applications. When you’re logged into your Gmail account, you will be able to access and view these synced notes. The notes are viewable as normal emails to yourself. To view a note, simply tap on the email and read through it.
Additional Information
There are a few other things you need to be aware of when syncing your iPhone Notes to your Gmail account. It is possible to delete notes using your Gmail account. That means every time you delete a synced note via Gmail, it is also deleted from your iPhone. Similarly, deleting notes on your iPhone means you will not be able to access them on Gmail. Deleting notes may require you to refresh both your Gmail account and your iPhone Notes for the changes to be reflected.
Another important fact is that Google and iCloud are mutually exclusive ecosystems. Meaning any notes synced to your Gmail account will not be synced to your iCloud or other Apple devices. Similarly, notes synced to your iCloud won’t be available to read on your Gmail account. However, it is possible to move your Gmail synced notes to your iCloud.
Finally, you can only edit your notes on an iOS device. You may be able to access them on Gmail, but you won’t be able to edit them. That means if you find any errors with your notes, you will need to edit them on the Notes app on iOS. That means you need to be extra careful with the notes you sync to Gmail. For example, if you have the wrong Spectrum phone number saved in your synced notes, you’ll be forced to correct them using your iOS device. When you don’t have access to one, it can become quite a hassle. It usually pays off to proofread and fact-check important notes.
