u/Ok-Reveal-It

I've been trying a few handwriting apps on an Android tablet to find something that really fits my workflow.

I started with FreeNotes and got used to it pretty quickly. At first, it was great, but over time it became less reliable due to ads, subscription changes, and a growing number of complaints on the subreddit. Dev communication also dropped, and the Play Store rating went down.

After that, I came across StarNote. I tried it early on, but I didn't really stick with it at the time, so I kept looking.

Then I tried Flexcil. It's solid in some areas but still missing a few basic things I need. Their subreddit also feels pretty inactive, with very little developer presence.

Next was Notein. It looked promising, but my handwriting didn't feel as natural or consistent as I needed. The community side was also a downside for me, since their subreddit is inactive or locked and there is no real interaction.

Eventually I came back to StarNote.

And that's where everything clicked for me. It's stable, smooth for handwriting, and keeps improving without changing the core experience too much.

What really stands out though is the community. It's small, but active and supportive. People share setups, help each other, and report issues without drama. And the developers actually show up and respond to posts, which makes a big difference.

No worrying about losing notes.
No sudden monetization surprises.
No feeling like you're ignored.

Just a solid app that keeps getting better, with a community that actually feels present. That's basically what I was looking for.

Curious what apps others here tried before finding StarNote?

I’m not connected to Cloud Backup yet in StarNote, so I wanted to ask something first.

Is the backup format the same between:

1. Local Backup and
2. Google Drive Cloud Backup?

For example, if I make a local backup and later enable cloud backup, are they compatible/interchangeable, or does cloud backup use a different format/structure?

Just curious before I set it up.

I noticed something in and I’m wondering if it’s intended or a limitation.

When I paste a link starting with https://, it gets converted into a clickable icon automatically.

But when I paste a www link, it doesn’t turn into a clickable icon. Instead, it just stays as plain text inside a text box.

Is there a reason for this difference?
Shouldn’t both formats be treated the same, or is there a technical limitation behind it?

Just curious how others see this or if there’s a workaround.

>Update: Link issue seems related to Chrome copy behaviour (video included)

I noticed something about tags in StarNote and wanted to ask if this is normal.

You can add tags to full notes, but also to individual pages inside a note.

When I tag notes, the counter in the left sidebar shows the number correctly (for example, 3 = three notes with that tag).

But when I tag only pages, the tag still appears in the Tags section, and when I open it, those tagged pages are shown. However, the counter does not increase. So, does the tag counter only count tagged notes, and not tagged pages?

I added a screenshot to explain better. Thanks.

I found a useful Chinese guide for StarNote gestures, translated it with Google Translate, and made a simple image so it’s easier to understand.

It covers 2 common uses:

1. Press and hold with one finger
2. Press and hold with one finger, then drag

Thought I’d share it here in case it helps others use StarNote more efficiently.

I’ve seen some users say StarNote takes too much storage even after deleting backups.

One possible reason could be 'deleted pages'. When we create notebooks and pages, then delete some pages later, they may still stay stored in the app in case you want to restore them.

I made a short video showing how to permanently remove those deleted pages.

Maybe this can help solve the storage issue for some of you, so feel free to try it.

Hi everyone, I need some help. I’m trying to connect my HONOR Choice MouseBuds Pro to the HONOR AI Space app on my tablet MagicPad 4.

The problem is that even with GPS/Location turned on and all permissions granted, the app still keeps asking me to enable location. Bluetooth is on, permissions are allowed, and everything seems set correctly. Also, the MouseBuds Pro are listed as supported by the app, but they do not appear anywhere in the device list, so I cannot manually add or connect them.

Has anyone successfully connected these earbuds through AI Space on a tablet? If yes, what did you do? Is this a bug?

I found a Chinese guide with useful StarNote handwriting presets, translated it with Google Translate, and made one simple image so it’s easier for everyone to use.

Thought I’d share it here in case it helps others get better writing results in StarNote.

If anyone has more presets or tips, feel free to share.

✨ Big thanks to the StarNote Team for giving me a Pro license during the Earth Day event! I used it to create this drawing of Earth with the StarNote logo in the center.

To the community: join the events, participate more, and stay active - it’s a great way to connect, create, and make a positive impact together.

Hi StarNote team, I'd like to suggest a simple but very useful feature that could greatly improve the workflow for many users, especially students. A large part of StarNote users are students who often come across unfamiliar words or terms while studying PDFs.

Currently, when selecting a word in a PDF, the menu shows actions like highlight, underline, copy, or add to excerpt. My suggestion is to add a custom shortcut option in Settings.

The idea:

1. In Settings, users can create one custom shortcut.
2. They can define: shortcut name (for example: Translation, Dictionary, Search), shortcut URL/action

Example URLs:

1. Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/?sl=en&tl=zh-CN&text=%25s&op=translate
2. Google Search: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s

When a user selects a word, the custom shortcut would appear in the popup menu (see photo). Pressing it would instantly search the selected word (in web browser) using the chosen service.

This would make studying much faster and smoother, since users could instantly translate words, open dictionaries, or search concepts without leaving their workflow. I believe this would be easy to implement and highly appreciated by students and researchers. Thanks for considering this suggestion!

Interesting to see how strongly Huawei AppGallery dominates the install base compared to Google Play and Honor App Market.

Based on publicly visible store figures:
• Huawei AppGallery: 22M
• Google Play: 1M+
• Honor App Market: 446K

Pretty impressive reach overall. Curious how many installs also come from Apple App Store, since those numbers aren't publicly shown. What do you think?