GoodNotes 5 Updated to Support Document Sharing via iCloud Sync

Popular note-taking app and PDF editor GoodNotes has been updated to support document sharing over iCloud for the first time.

syncdevices%402x
After updating to version 5.5.0, users will be able to share individual notes and entire folders of notes using unique URLs, as well as collaboratively edit the same note with others at the same time.

Users can share documents from their GoodNotes library by tapping a document title, which opens a context menu containing the new Collaborate option. If a user is already working in a document, they can tap the share icon to reveal the same option.

Shared documents display a special icon in the GoodNotes library, and can also be accessed from a new Shared tab in the app's navigation bar. Changes to shared documents sync via ‌iCloud‌ and take around 15 to 30 seconds to show up on other devices, and anyone with the link can open and edit a shared document in GoodNotes.

The developers concede that this way of working is unlikely to replace real-time collaborative whiteboard apps, but it does offer a means of working together on things like calendars, meeting notes, grocery lists, and so on over an extended period of time.

GoodNotes 5 costs $7.99 and can be downloaded for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...

Top Rated Comments

johnnytravels Avatar
60 months ago
It’s a good app, I wish however that the Mac version was a bit less clunky and not so obviously a Catalyst app (but it comes free with the iPad version).

In comparison to Notability I think a prefer the fact that the text of PDFs can be directly selected, highlighted and copied as text.
Writing and text recognition seems a little worse to me.

One feature I would really like to see is the option to scan excerpts from books into documents, ideally with OCR. Currently it is only possible to either take photos and add those or turn scans into entire pages.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnnytravels Avatar
60 months ago

I have a little off-topic question, but related to note-taking.
Anyone tried purchasing any kind of paper-like screen protector?

Have purchased the elecom one, I think I like it.

Any opinions or other recommendations?
Thanks!
I am currently using this and it works really well for me:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084237PKK/ref=dp_prsubs_1

The best combination of a real matte screen and great Pencil friction I have found. Better than Paperlike, better than many others that reduce the screen’s clarity while actually adding glare to it.
Comes with a handy installation tool, too ;)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CalMin Avatar
60 months ago

Anyone got any opinions of this versus Notability?
They're both great. Personally, I get on really well with Goodnotes as it suits my need to organize. My only real wish is that it had audio recording.

Notability is great too and it has the audio recording (which is done really, really well). There's also something about my writing in Notability - it's just smoother and more pen-like. That sounds minor, but somehow, they have really got the inking feel nice in Notability.

The thing to do is to buy and try both. Apple will refund you for the one that you don't like if you ask nicely via 'Report a problem' and don't do it too often. I ended up keeping both - I mostly use GoodNotes, but sometimes use Notability when I need to use voice recording.

There is also the app that no-one mentions and that is Noteshelf. It's killer feature was Evernote sync, and when I had to use a Windows PC for work that was invaluable to me to get my notes on that platform.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BuffaloTF Avatar
60 months ago

Anyone got any opinions of this versus Notability?
I think you'll find it's as close to a 'push' as possible, I have both... but... Notability is my go to. First off, GoodNotes charges for each numbered upgrade. Infinite scrolling with no need to flip pages. More screen real estate given to writing instead of a Microsoft Office style gigantic banner bar (which simultaneously has its benefits). Annotating PDFs or PowerPoints is just better with an easier interface. Audio recording... it's more than just audio, but it plays out your actual handwriting as the audio plays - so if you ever look at a note and say "wtf does that tie to?" you can just play the audio to hear what you were writing about.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kylew1212 Avatar
60 months ago

Anyone got any opinions of this versus Notability?
reference:
I have used both Notability & GoodNotes on my iPad and Mac.

I prefer Goodnotes over notability of the organization capabilities. There Is not enough actual not taking differences (to me) for that portion to matter. Notability does not allow for folders, goodnotes does. I have tons of notes that I wsnt to easily manage and rarely use. Notability felt clunkier in this area.

Notability pros:

* Both sync to iCloud, but Notability has a version history for each document.
* Audio recording


GoodNotes pros:

* Great organization
* This new document collaboration


Both have Mac apps, I do not remember the cost of them to compare. They might have even been free.
I only use the Mac apps for importing PDFs, and reviewing notes. I rarely edit with Mac.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisH3677 Avatar
60 months ago

Anyone got any opinions of this versus Notability?
It beats Notability hands down in all except two things

1) Shapes. Notability gives you control over modifying your shapes
2) Audio recording. GN doesn't have any. Notability allows you to record audio while you take notes - and in playback of the audio, your note taking plays back too so what you wrote is shown in sync with what you heard!

But, those two features weren't enough for me.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)