# Handwriting recognition for iPad?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-recognition-for-ipad/627919>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 11, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-recognition-for-ipad/627919 "2012-07-11T19:08:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-recognition-for-ipad/627919/1 "2012-07-11T19:08:00Z")

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I just got an iPad as a gift and like most aspects of it. However, I have a convertible tablet laptop with a Wacom screen that I really love because using OneNote I can take notes in handwriting that are tacitly converted to text (or explicitly if I ask it to) and can be searched. I have couple of notepad applications for the iPad but nothing that allows me to search handwriting for text, or convert handwriting to text.

Does it exist? Any recommendations?

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**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-recognition-for-ipad/627919/2 "2012-07-12T17:45:19Z")

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I don’t have an iPad, but a quick search turns up several apps that might do what you want - Notes Plus and 7Notes for example.

You might want to pick up a stylus if you don’t already have one; there seem to be a number of them out there.

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [July 12, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-recognition-for-ipad/627919/3 "2012-07-12T22:03:39Z")

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Thanks Mama, I’ll check into those. I did buy a stylus. They’re kind of weird, I guess because the touchscreen technology is not pressure sensitive. My wacom and my old Palms had hard tips, these are mushy.

(BTW I am still benefiting from your advice about buying MS apps through Fairfax County Schools.)

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**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\
**Post date:** [July 13, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-recognition-for-ipad/627919/4 "2012-07-13T02:08:22Z")

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> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> Thanks Mama, I’ll check into those. I did buy a stylus. They’re kind of weird, I guess because the touchscreen technology is not pressure sensitive. My wacom and my old Palms had hard tips, these are mushy.
> 
> (BTW I am still benefiting from your advice about buying MS apps through Fairfax County Schools.)

Cool!! Something we got recently even suggested the apps were _free_ now.