Still using the built-in memo? Tidenote AI notes made me completely kick the messy note-taking habit

You might not believe it, but the built-in memo on my phone has accumulated over 400 unorganized pieces of "debris."

From last week's meeting agenda to a random sentence I jotted down while listening to a podcast three months ago, to a sudden thought one night: "remember to buy cat litter." These fragments are crammed together, and whenever I try to find something, I have to scroll for ages. Even more awkwardly, sometimes I write notes that I can't even understand myself—"Competitor tone leans left, kind of like XX"? Who does "kind of like" refer to?

I tried several other note apps, but they were either too complicated—opening them made me want to close them—or they were just a digital blank page, still just as messy. It wasn't until I tried Tidenote AI Notes that I felt this thing is finally not just "handwriting in a different place."

The worst thing in a meeting isn't not taking notes—it's taking a bunch of junk

I work in product management, with at least five or six cross-department meetings a week. Before, I'd be typing while listening, but my typing couldn't keep up with the talking, and everything ended up a mess.

After using Tidenote, the most immediate change I felt was: I could finally focus on listening first. It's like having a co-pilot that transcribes the entire conversation into text for you. After the meeting, just a few seconds glancing at the AI-generated summary—key points, action items, and disagreements are all marked. Last week, during a two-hour strategic alignment meeting, the notes I got were just over a dozen bullet points—more than enough.

The most practical thing is that you don't have to organize it yourself. Before, I'd spend at least half an hour after each meeting replaying recordings and restructuring. Now, I can send the condensed version to the team right after the meeting, saving a lot of empty promises like "I'll organize it later."

Listening to lectures and watching videos are no longer "in one ear and out the other"

On weekends, I watch industry courses or long videos, often lasting one or two hours. Before, I'd take notes while watching, but all my attention was on typing, and I never really absorbed the core points.

Tidenote can handle these long-form contents directly. You don't need to hit pause—it automatically segments the content and extracts the speaker's logic. Once, I was watching a lecture on user growth models. When it ended, in less than a minute, I saw the AI compress over an hour of content into a few core frameworks, even arranging the examples for each stage in order.

This isn't just about saving time—it's about truly "digesting" the information.

Who says you can't take structured notes from reading?

I usually read some tough English research reports or long articles. Before, I either couldn't bear to highlight anything, or I'd highlight and forget where.

Tidenote has a mode that's especially suited for this scenario. You can drop an article into it, and it can extract key arguments, supporting data, and the author's conclusions. It's not the vague kind of "core idea of this article"—it's a structure that can genuinely serve as notes.

Last week, I read a 10,000-word report on AI search ad monetization. Tidenote directly gave me three core points of contention and corresponding data citations. I copied them into my weekly report, and a colleague even asked me where I found such solid material.

Anyone can use it, but not everyone needs it

Honestly, Tidenote isn't one of those "install it and regret not doing it sooner" universal tools. Its value depends on your scenario.

1. If you frequently attend long meetings (especially cross-department ones with multiple topics), it saves you the organizing step—at least 20 minutes per meeting.
2. If you're a student or researcher who often attends lectures, reads papers, or takes online classes, its summarization ability liberates you from "dictation" and lets you spend your time truly understanding.
3. If you only occasionally jot down a shopping list or record a few phone numbers, then the built-in memo is perfectly sufficient—no need to bother.

Also, adjust your expectations: AI summaries are not perfect. Occasionally, it misinterprets your spoken expressions or merges two similar points into one. However, this isn't a fatal flaw—because you can quickly scan the generated result, fix any issues on the spot, and it's still much faster than organizing from scratch.

There's another hidden cost: the free version has limited capacity. If you use it heavily, you might need to consider a subscription. But if you're really attending three or four meetings a week and reading tons of long content, then this expense is worth it—because the time it saves would buy more than just a cup of coffee.

Honestly, after using Tidenote AI Notes for a while, the biggest change for me isn't that I'm taking more notes—it's that I finally dared to clear out those 400 pieces of "debris" from my phone's built-in memo. Because I know that the truly important stuff, it has already kept safe for me.