New Version of Bear 2 Notes App Now Available – Explore All the Enhanced Features
Shiny Frog, a developer, has released an updated version of the Bear note-taking app specifically for Apple users. Despite the presence of the highly regarded Apple Notes app, Bear offers numerous additional features and addresses some of its limitations. However, Bear faces tough competition from other note-keeping apps like Evernote and Google Keeps, which boast their own distinctive features.
Shiny Frog CEO Danilo Bonardi has announced the all new Bear 2 app, which looks and works the same as the Bear app, but with more enhanced features that make the app look like a completely new version.
What does it bring? Bear 2 users get tables, nested styles, pinned tags, better Bear Pro, backlinks, terms of use, custom fonts, and more.
About the Bear 2 note app
According to The Verge, in 2016 when Bear launched for Apple devices, it gained popularity and won the “App of the Year” award for Mac. After it was released, many people switched to Bear, but it still had some issues that needed to be fixed.
Shiny Frog wanted to bring a new text editing system to Bear 2, along with new features like good export tools, full Markdown support, strong image integration, right-to-left language support, and more to make it stand out from the competition, and that meant focusing on the smallest details so that all the features get it right and fire on all cylinders to leave a lasting impression on users. Bonardi emphasized the fact that he really focused on “personal use.”
Now, Bear 2 is working to migrate its current users to the new app. Although it is free to download, users must pay $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year to access the sync, search, and export features.
The Bear 2 application will also be available for Android and Windows users in due course.
Full list of Bear 2 release:
Tables – visualize data in rows and columns
Hide Markup – Formatting marks will now be hidden for a cleaner look and easier reading. For example, Bold stars are hidden, but appear for editing when a word is selected
Nested styles – Add multiple text styles to text. For example, bold and underline in the same word
Fold – Fold away the parts of the text you no longer need to see (headings, tasks and lists)
New sketching tool and Canvas (iOS) – completely redesigned sketching experience, new drawing pad tools and Apple PencilKit support
GIF support – GIFs can be played in notes
Link Previews – Thumbnail preview of web links
PDF Previews – Thumbnails of attached files
Image resizing and cropping – Scale and crop any image in a note
Footnotes – Add reference information for a topic and navigate it easily
Document Scan (iOS) – Convert images to PDF files
All-New Editing Keyboard (iOS) – Quickly format text and add attachments from your custom keyboard (BIU button)
All-new photo picker (iOS) – now you can select multiple photos at once to add to a note
RTL Language Support – Support for right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew.
New information panel with table of contents and backlinks
Table of Contents – outline of your notes based on headings 1-6
Backlinks – A list of all notes that link to the current note
Pin the tags to the sidebar
Search TagCon – Easily find the right icons for your tags
Improved Search – Search for text in notes
OCR Search – Find text in images and PDF files (requires Bear Pro)
Notes list preview options – Choose from small, medium and large note previews, also to hide attachment or footer notes (a great way to use the tag system as folders)
New Widget – Show a random note
New Lock Screen Widgets (iOS) – Random Note, Last Edited Note, New Note, New Task Note, New Photo Note, Search
If you’re using an older Bear 1, here are some key tips to ensure a smooth upgrade experience:
- Back up your notes – It’s never a bad idea to back up your Bear notes (and all your other important digital stuff). It’s also super simple!
iPhone and iPad: Settings > Import and Export
Mac: File > Backup Notes
- Don’t delete Bear 1! On the big day, download Bear 2 as an update from the App Store. It replaces Bear 1 and brings all your data the first time
This is very important if you don’t have a Bear Pro with iCloud sync! Your data is only on your device (and hopefully your backups), so definitely don’t uninstall Bear
