How to collaborate with others on the same note from your iPhone

In this post, I will show you how to collaborate with others on the same note through iCloud, directly from your iPhone.

This tip is useful if you’re using Notes to:

1. Create your shopping list

2. Plan small trips and holidays

3. Organise family reunions or friend parties

4. Collect ideas for projects like house improvement

5. Save / store recipes either your own or found online

… and want other people to stay in the loop and be able to edit the note by adding attachments or checking off to-do items.

Courtesy from Apple

Pre-requisite

To take advantage of this feature, you and the person you share the note with will need at least the following versions of the operating system:

• iOS 10 on iPhone/iPad

• macOS 10.12 (Sierra) on your Mac

Your shared notes will be accessible on your other devices still running (or stuck at) an older version of the operating system. 

The only thing you can’t do on those devices is to add or remove people who can collaborate.

Since you can’t see which note is shared on those older devices, I’d recommend to add a clue in the note title (either a few asterisks or [Shared]).

When you delete a shared note:

• it will be moved to your “Recently Deleted” folder on all your devices

• it will be completely removed from the device of the people you shared the note with.

Finally, only you, the owner, can add other people to the shared note. 

The other people can only:

• Copy the link

• Remove themselves from the shared note

Limitations

Please be aware that password-protected notes cannot be shared. 

If you absolutely want to share such a note, then you’ll need to remove the passcode lock for this note.

In addition, only notes stored in iCloud can be shared. 

If you have local notes that you want to share, you’ll need to move them to iCloud first:

1. Open the folder containing the local note

2. Tap on “Edit” (top right)

3. Tap on the desired note(s)

4. Tap on “Move To…” (bottom left)

5. Select an existing folder or create a new one in iCloud

Sharing a note

To invite people to collaborate on a note from your iPhone:

1. Open the Notes app

2. Navigate and open the iCloud note that you want to share

3. Tap on the icon representing a person (top right)

4. Tap on the method to send the invitation:

   • Via Mail

   • Via Messages

   • Via “Copy Link”

     • Enter the email or phone number associated with the Apple ID

     • Paste the link in your communication method of choice (WhatsApp, etc)

Adding or removing people

To add or remove people:

1. Tap on the yellow icon representing a person

2. Either tap on “Add People

3. Or tap on an existing people, then tap on “Remove Access”

---

And you, how often do you collaborate with other people on the same iCloud note?

Please let me know in the comments below!