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xnotes

Handwriting notes and sketching app with stylus support
New in version 0.8.23
- Fix a crash and vanishing ink on large canvases
- Fix a crash on PDFs with broken or empty pages
- Fix a rare crash while writing on some devices
- Fix PDF pages rerendering while scrolling
xnotes is a handwriting-first notebook for phones and tablets, built for pen and stylus. Write, sketch and annotate with pressure-sensitive, variable-width ink, and nothing you draw is ever flattened.

Highlights:

* Paged notes and an infinite canvas: work in real pages when you want structure, or spread out on a canvas that never runs out of room.
* Pressure-sensitive ink: a custom stroke engine turns raw stylus samples into a smooth, variable-width ribbon that swells and tapers with pen pressure, so handwriting and sketches feel natural instead of like a flat marker.
* Vector PDF, in and out: drop in a PDF as a page background to annotate, then export your notes back to PDF as true vector — ink and text stay crisp at any zoom instead of being flattened to pixels.
* Razor-sharp deep zoom: a background renderer redraws a high-resolution viewport off the main thread, so you can zoom far in and the ink stays sharp rather than turning blocky.
* Real highlighter blending: highlighters are composited live every frame with a true multiply blend, so overlapping strokes deepen like real ink instead of painting over one another.
* Neon pen: a glowing pen with a bright white core and saturated, luminous edges for accents that pop off the page.
* Smart PDF dark mode: invert a PDF page for comfortable night reading while leaving embedded photos and images untouched.
* Nothing is ever flattened: every stroke is stored as editable vector data in the open .xnote format, so you can re-select, move, restyle or erase any mark at any time.
* Stylus-aware by design: pen and finger are handled separately, so you can pan with a finger while you draw with the pen; on devices without a stylus, finger drawing turns on automatically.
* Private and open: open source, no accounts, no telemetry, no network access at all. Files go through Android's Storage Access Framework, so the app needs no broad storage permission either.

Also includes:

* Shapes, text boxes and image insertion
* Stroke and object erasers, plus box and lasso selection with move and resize
* Multi-page documents with several page sizes
* A backstage file area: recent notes, a built-in folder explorer and quick sharing
* A side panel with page thumbnails, contents and bookmarks
* Undo and redo
* Pinch to zoom and a configurable pen side-button action
* Customisable theme, accent colour and page defaults

Versions

Although APK downloads are available below to give you the choice, you should be aware that by installing that way you will not receive update notifications and it's a less secure way to download. We recommend that you install the F-Droid client and use that.

Download F-Droid
  • Version 0.8.23 (60) suggested Added on Sep 28, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86_64

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • com.xnotes.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 21 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

  • New in version 0.8.22
    - Float the toolbar as a pill over the page, or keep it docked
    - Put the toolbar on any edge, in Compact, Regular or Comfortable size
    - Add a Corners setting: Sharp, Rounded or Soft
    - Add a contrast slider for custom colour palettes
    - Material is now the only colour palette
    - Empty folders offer to create a note or canvas, or import a PDF
    - Minor fixes and improvements
  • Version 0.8.22 (59) - Added on Sep 26, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86_64

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • com.xnotes.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 21 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

  • New in version 0.8.21
    - Add maths to inline text: type $x^2$ or $$...$$, or pick /equation
    - Add page templates: Cornell, planners, staves, isometric, polar and more
    - Fix typing jumping ahead after backspace on some keyboards
    - Minor fixes and improvements
  • Version 0.8.21 (58) - Added on Sep 25, 2026

    arm64-v8a armeabi-v7a x86_64

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • com.xnotes.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 21 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log