Google Keep will let you jot notes from the lock screen on Android tablets

Android tablets could possibly be superb productiveness devices do you have to use a robust note-taking app like Google Keep. Pairing a stylus to your capsule can improve Protect’s note-taking skills even extra, as a result of it helps you to attract notes with a pen as a substitute of your finger.

Nonetheless, to entry Protect’s drawing mode, you should unlock your capsule, faucet on Protect’s residence show icon, and tap on the paintbrush icon. This three-step course of makes it cumbersome to shortly jot down notes, which is why Google launched a model new operate in Android 14 that makes it less complicated to launch note-taking apps like Protect correct from the lock show.

The note-taking shortcut

As we’ve detailed sooner than, one in all many key choices of Android 14 is the ability to customize the shortcuts confirmed on the lock show. Nonetheless, this performance is disabled on the Pixel Tablet. Google’s capsule solely has a single shortcut on the underside left of the lock show that launches Android’s wise residence “Machine Controls” interface. In case you occur to permit the stress permit Notes place setting in Android’s Developer Decisions net web page, though, then a second shortcut will most likely be confirmed on the underside correct of the lock show. That’s Android’s hidden ninth lock show shortcut known as note-taking.

Enabling the stress permit Notes place setting isn’t enough to make this observe shortcut actually work, nonetheless. First, you must set Google Protect as Android’s default notes app by going to Settings > Apps > Default apps. This has been doable since mannequin 5.23.482.04 of the Protect app launched once more in December.

On the time, though, launching Google Protect by means of the shortcut on the lock show would merely set off a message that talked about you needed to interchange Protect. Further not too way back, this message was updated to say “coming rapidly,” suggesting this operate is form of ready for launch. In fact, Protect’s lock show note-taking operate is already largely helpful, and via a little bit little bit of tinkering, we managed to permit the experience partially.

Throughout the video embedded above, our tipster, Anh on Discord, prolonged presses on the note-taking shortcut on his Pixel Capsule’s lock show. This launches Google Protect in drawing mode with a message that claims, “create Protect drawings whereas your system is locked.” Our tipster is able to use his stylus to draw in Protect, and as quickly as he’s completed, his system continues to be locked.

Launching Protect from the lock show makes it lots less complicated to jot down notes shortly, and that’s all on account of Android 14’s new note-taking lock show shortcut. Protect isn’t the one note-taking app that will revenue from this new Android 14 operate, though, since any third-party note-taking app could possibly be set as Android’s default notes app so long as they meet the subsequent requirements.

Better than solely a lock show shortcut

Turning into the default notes app grants only a few benefits previous with the power to be launched from the lock show. For example, the default notes app may be launched everytime you press the tail button on a supported stylus. This launches the app in a floating bubble that sits on excessive of irrespective of app is at current on show.

One different revenue is that the default notes app will get admission to Android 14’s new Seize Content material materials for Notes API. This API makes it doable for the default notes app to insert a screenshot of the current net web page proper right into a observe. Solely the default notes app has entry to this API to make it possible for totally different apps can’t merely save a screenshot of what you’re having a look at any time they want.

Because of the roundabout methodology we enabled this operate, we aren’t able to showcase the experience of launching Protect in a floating bubble by pressing the stylus tail button or inserting a screenshot proper right into a observe. Nonetheless, we are going to exhibit what the experience ought to appear like by exhibiting these choices in a third-party app that has been updated to assist Android 14’s note-taking APIs completely.

As you presumably can see throughout the video embedded above, we’re able to open the default notes app in a floating bubble on excessive of Google Chrome. We’re then able to insert a screenshot of the current show into the observe. Android even lets you crop the screenshot sooner than passing it to the observe. Whereas Protect’s UI will clearly differ from this third-party app, the final motion ought to remain the an identical.

When will this launch?

The question I’m optimistic you would have is, “When will this launch?” Sadly, we don’t actually know. Supplied that this operate is usually working, it’s doable we’re solely days or maybe weeks away from its launch. It’d presumably even launch with the next Pixel Perform Drop in March. Nonetheless, I imagine it’s additional seemingly that Google will launch this with Android 15 later this yr. The reason is that the default notes app place is disabled by default and requires flipping a setting in Developer Decisions to permit it. My guess is that Google will push a change to permit this place by default in a future Android assemble so that clients don’t ought to dive into Developer Decisions to permit it.

Google may additionally be prepared until it’s capable of launch a first-party stylus accent for the Pixel Capsule. We’ve seen proof that it’s been engaged on one for pretty a while, but it surely certainly nonetheless hasn’t launched it however. It might very nicely be holding off until the discharge of the rumored Pixel Tablet 2, which may make it a additional productivity-focused system. There’s no proof that Google will try this, though, as a result of it’s moreover doable it could launch this operate with out lots fanfare, like the best way it did with stylus handwriting in Gboard.

In any case, Android Authority will protect an in depth eye on this operate so we are going to inform you when it launches.

Specific on account of Rodrigo on Telegram for sharing the technique on tips about learn how to partially permit this operate, along with to Anh on Discord for recording a video of this operate on their Pixel Capsule!