Developers Note: Notecard++ has improved far more than any other project I’ve worked on thus far. Whether that reflects more on my current software development capabilities or how Notecard++ has evolved internally, I’ll leave to the users to decide. 2025 is shaping up to be a fantastic year for software development, and I hope that by focusing on the bigger picture, I can better reach both the education community and even outside of it. Let’s kick off the announcements, shall we?
Taking Notes Anywhere
Traditionally, Notecard++ has run on iOS and iPadOS. Plans for macOS support were once in the works, but stalled due to the patchwork nature of the 1.x version of the app. Notecard++ 2 plans to separate much of the UI from the backend app, allowing this work to become much easier. We’ll also be able to take Notecard++ elsewhere. Currently, a macOS version is in the works in parallel with the main app. Expect testing opportunities later this year. Releasing along with Notecard++ 1.1 will be the watchOS companion app. Notecard++ for watchOS will allow users to access their schedules and receive notifications throughout the day in a more convenient spot. Notecard++ for watchOS seamlessly syncs with your iPhone, providing all its functionalities even when you’re offline. Once synced, Notecard++ for watchOS will continue to function even when disconnected from your iPhone. (And yes, Android support is coming soon. Details will follow at some point soon.)
Developer Note: Inspired by Kitten Space Agency from RocketWerkz, I will be sharing many early development previews on our Discord. Come check it out! Go check them out too! There’s great work going on over there at RocketWerkz.
Hola Notecard++
For the first time ever, Notecard++ will be supporting multiple languages. A lot of the app is currently designed for the English-speaking world, but there are plans to begin translating Notecard++ into other languages.
Developer Note: Kudos to Apple for the amazing work in Xcode that allows us to provide a single file that handles all of the translations in the app. I’ve even found duplicate translation strings before that showed where an inconsistency in my code was, usually to do with punctuation. Those dang commas. Worse than semicolons, really.
Going Global
Because of this translation effort, it’s about time to make our services available outside of the United States. A major barrier to this is compliance with the GDPR and other various privacy regulations around the world. Notecard++ currently utilizes iCloud for storing your notes securely, which requires very little additional work on our part (all of your notes are accessible through iCloud Drive as a PDF). However, as we prepare to synchronize your data across platforms that lack access to iCloud, that will soon change. That change necessitates our own compliance with the GDPR, rather than relying on Apple’s compliance. Ideally, we won’t start offering early access to this service until later this year, around the time Notecard++ 2 is released. Expect to hear more details soon.
Developer Note: Once the backend is properly separated with Notecard++ 2, we could technically use whatever kind of storage we want for the app. While on iOS we will continue to focus our efforts on using Core Data and our own paid syncing service, I don’t see a reason why we couldn’t offer the option to self-host the service to hobbyists. As a user of the app myself, I would certainly want that option.
Your Notes, Everywhere
With Notecard++ 2, we will be launching a subscription based version of our service in addition to the existing app. Users will not lose any features to a subscription paywall. Instead, we will be using this subscription to offer a web-based version of our services. This service will allow you to view and manage the same notes from your devices across any other device with a web browser. This will also allow you to log in on other devices to sync notes.
Developers Note: This is an overarching plan for Notecard++ as a whole. The intent originally was for Notecard++ to be a web-based service, but this approach would not have met the goals I have planned for this app in a reasonable amount of time, and I wouldn’t be able to offer the native feel that Notecard++ aims to offer.
What about Linux?
Well, what about it? In all seriousness, Notecard++ plans to support Linux. I’m currently working on ways to ease the porting process of Notecard++ once I have some of the new infrastructure implemented. I won’t give a timeline for that this will look like, but I do plan to support Linux. I use a Linux laptop often, so Linux support is a must for me on the desktop.
Homework Hub
This one’s coming a little sooner than 2.0 if everything goes right. The homework hub will be a place where you can organize and manage your assignments, including their materials. You’ll be able to create your own, or (eventually) also be able to get your assignments in the app by clicking a link in Google Classroom. I’m also looking to have better integration with Google Classroom as a whole. This integration will enable teachers to easily transition to using Notecard++ in their classrooms.
Easier Navigation
I’m working on a few new prototypes for navigating the app. The pop-up style navigation of the current app works well, but is difficult to maintain and has many bugs. Expect to see builds of this in TestFlight in the near future.
Bug Tracker
It’s live over here. Things are still under development here, but bugs can be submitted. Please do so, as this will help me improve the app. I don’t think I have to explain Linus’s law to the Linux folk that may have seen mention of Linux on this page, but essentially, given enough eyes on our project here, all bugs are visible. The ultimate plan for Notecard++ is to be open-source, but currently, that isn’t possible.
Translation Station
Will be powered by Weblate. I haven’t set it up yet, but this will allow us to power translation within Notecard++ well into our future. More details to follow.
That’s the roadmap. Please share your ideas, thoughts, and concerns in the comments.