Apple Notes added a key shortcut that unlocks two hidden powers

Apple Notes is easily one of the most powerful apps pre-installed on the iPhone, and recently, Notes added a key shortcut that unlocks two hidden powers in the app: instant conversions and equations.

Instant conversions using only an equals sign

For a few years now, iOS has offered support for doing all kinds of unit and currency conversions.

Generally, this feature has been available when highlighting text and opening a context menu that revealed the answer.

But this year it got even easier inside Apple Notes.

All you need is a single keystroke: the equals key.

Inside a note, type a unit of measurement, or a currency, then hit the equals sign.

Immediately Notes shows you the conversion, highlighted in yellow text. You can then hit space to have the conversion added to your note.

I did this recently on multiple occasions:

• when considering Apple Watch sizes, I typed 46mm then the equals sign to see that it’s 1.811 inches
• on vacation in Europe, I was calculating bill splits and typed ‘86 euros=‘ to learn it was about $97

If you just need a quick conversion, typing it into Spotlight Search makes more sense.

But often with these conversions, I’ve found it helpful to have a written record. The permanence is helpful for future reference, as is keeping both the original and converted numbers easily accessible.

Math equations using the same shortcut

Conversions aren’t the only hidden powers unlocked by the equals key.

Notes now supports doing basic math equations with this same shortcut.

Type a math equation in your note, hit the equals sign, and the answer will appear in that same yellow highlight used for conversions.

This can be handy for a variety of uses. But it gets even better.

As seen in the image above, Apple Notes can even perform calculations based on written variables.

So if you’re trying to draft a simple budget in a note, for example, you can assign numeric values to different line items such as Food or Rent, then use those variables to get your total using the equals sign.

Apple Notes ‘equals’ shortcut: wrap-up

There’s so much power packed into Apple Notes, the majority of users will probably never take full advantage of the app. But most features are at least discoverable through menus and UI icons.

With the equals sign shortcut for conversions and equations, though, users would have to stumble upon it by chance. Once you know it exists, though, it’s easy to find uses that make the Notes app even more indispensable than before.

Have you been using Apple Notes’ shortcut for conversions and equations? Let us know in the comments.

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