Notability for Android is Finally Here

First, thank you to everyone in the Android community who stayed with us throughout this journey. Your feedback, patience, and trust helped shape this release every step of the way. From the beginning, our goal was simple: build an Android app that looks and feels like the Notability you already know and love.

Over the past decade, Notability has grown from a team of about a dozen people to more than 100, giving us the resources to bring Notability to a second platform without compromising the experience users expect. Android has long had a strong presence around the world, and we’re excited to now be part of that.

Starting from scratch

When Eric Brown, Staff Engineer, and Serhii Solodilov, Staff Engineer, first joined Notability's Android team on September 30, 2024, they knew building the Android app meant starting from scratch. With no shared iOS codebase to lean on, all they had was a blank canvas and a vision for success.

"We broke ground on the Android codebase, working through a lot of internals and setting the app's architecture," Eric recalls. "That first stretch, about five and a half months, was just the two of us laying the foundation." Beyond the app itself, subscriptions are how most people access Notability today, so the team also had to build that system before Android could launch. "A big part of it was implementing subscriptions," Serhii adds.

When asked about the moment they realized the project had real momentum, both Eric and Serhii pointed to the pen experience. "Getting to the point where we realized, 'Oh, I can see ink strokes,' then, 'I can draw ink strokes!' That was a big moment, and development kept moving from there."

What to expect in Notability for Android

What came out of all of the Android team's work is an app built for the Android experience, not adapted to it. Notability for Android introduces two exclusive pens, rainbow and glitter. "We've got the glitter pen and some other cool pens powered by Google's ink library. We also fully support the Notes role, so Notability can be your dedicated notes app right from the lock screen, that's Android-specific.”  Eric explains.

The team emphasizes that the bigger goal is making sure Android users can do everything current Notability users can. "I'd say try the recording experience, explore the Learn features, and don't be afraid to test things out and ask questions," Serhii encourages. Right now, all notes in Android are saved to Notability Cloud, making notes accessible from any non-Android devices as well.

See it for yourself

From day one, the Android team has focused on rebuilding our core systems and refining the smallest interactions, making Notability feel right at home on Android. Now it's in your hands.

"Android runs a lot of different applications, so I'm proud of how we handled audio in general," Serhii says. Eric adds, "On the user-facing side, I'm proud of how we've made the pen experience feel. Overall, I'm most proud of the internals we built, the stuff that let the team hit the ground running. Porting a sixteen-year-old app is no small task,"

But this launch is only the beginning. The team can't wait to see what you create with Notability on Android. “Your feedback is critical, we're building this for you," Eric says. "I hope you enjoy our blood, sweat, and tears.” he jokes. He recommends users try the Android app out, sharing their feedback, and helping the team continue building the best note-taking experience possible.

Serhii concludes, "Android users have different needs, and we are glad that Notability can now meet them."

Notability for Android is available for download on the Google Play Store. To celebrate the launch, new subscribers can get 25% off for a limited time, so don't wait to download. 👀

– The Notability Team