Show HN: I made a Note-Taking app for people who keep texting themselves

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reaction

  • Many commenters resonate with the “self‑texting” / “notes to self” habit and see the app as a clean, focused version of that behavior.
  • Others see it as a solution in search of a problem, arguing that the whole point of self‑texting is avoiding yet another app.

Use cases & appeal

  • Chat‑style, chronological “stream of consciousness” note‑taking strongly appeals to people who:
    • Don’t like document/folder/titled‑note paradigms.
    • Use self‑messages as lightweight journaling, work logs, or idea capture.
    • Want notes to “disappear into the past” yet remain searchable.
  • Some see value in adding higher-level views later (summaries, calendar views, “what did I do last week/month/year?”), especially for people with memory issues.

Skepticism & existing workflows

  • Many already use Signal “Note to Self,” Telegram Saved Messages, WhatsApp self‑chats, Slack/Discord/Matrix/XMPP, email-to-self, or simple text editors and are reluctant to switch.
  • Key argument: messaging apps are always open and extremely low friction; adding a dedicated notes app increases cognitive and interaction overhead.
  • Several claim Apple Notes, Google Keep, Joplin, Obsidian, memos (self‑hosted), etc., already cover the functional space.

Features, UX & performance

  • Positives: simplicity, timeline focus, no titles, hotkey capture, tagging, sync, markdown-like notes.
  • Concerns / requests:
    • Must launch and accept input extremely fast; frictionlessness is paramount.
    • Editing past notes, tagging, and task-like “done” states.
    • Better aggregation: calendar views, folds/summary nodes, or AI/LLM-based digests.
    • Bugs (e.g., auto‑scroll issues) and missing conveniences (font sizing, quoting on macOS).

Data, privacy & portability

  • Data is stored in SQLite; export to JSON exists on macOS, with markdown export requested.
  • Some want clearer, easier exports and cross‑platform access as a prerequisite for trusting the app long‑term.
  • Strong concerns about trusting closed-source, App Store–distributed software; some advocate FOSS, self‑hosted tools, or decentralized distribution for true trust and longevity.
  • E2EE is available only when using iCloud Advanced Data Protection.

Pricing & platform

  • Apple‑only support is a major limitation; many Android and non‑Apple users say they would otherwise try it.
  • Subscription (especially to unlock iCloud sync) is divisive:
    • Critics see rent‑seeking for a mostly local app and prefer one‑time purchases.
    • Supporters argue subscriptions are needed for sustainability and continued development.