With Google Keep (a tool that keeps every idea, task, and priority organized) you can bring order back to everything you do online. The real question is if it’s worth choosing Google Keep over other popular task management apps like OneNote, Evernote, Squid, and others?
If your daily activities on the Web are well-entrenched within the Google environment, using Keep is a no-brainer. It’s simple, fast, and best of all, free.
Let’s take a closer look at this lightweight tool from the search engine giant.
What is Google Keep?
Over the years, Google has created a couple of handy online productivity tools. Most of them have turned out to be great and Google Keep is definitely no exception. It’s primarily a note-taking application and has been designed to help you stay organized in your day-to-day.
It keeps you on top of your priorities as it comes complete with notification reminders based on time, date, or location. Imagine Keep reminding you to visit a friend when you arrive in her town for a meeting with clients. You can even record audio, photos, and videos to store them on Google Keep.
Why Google Keep is Worth the Try
Overall, Keep is an incredibly handy tool for collecting and managing personal and work-related notes. We’ll highlight a few great things about the app:
Excellent Accessibility
It can be a hassle keeping track of ideas and plans when you’re constantly switching from one device to another. Google Keep solves that hassle. You’ll love that switching between different devices requires little thought or hassle with Google’s note-taking tool.
You’ll also like the fact that the app doesn’t require a subscription, special account, or even desktop software to run. Simply open its Android or Chrome app and you’re pretty much set! Once you’re in, you’ll immediately notice that all your notes will be right where they are—synced and organized.
In terms of security, you still have to go through the same two-factor authentication that you see on the rest of Google apps. That means your notes are as secure as the rest of your account. Even with such measures in place, collaboration on the app is a cinch. Just tap an icon on a note, invite anyone with a Google account, and they can view and edit the note in no time!
Functional Simplicity
One thing that sets Google Keep apart from other popular note-taking apps is that it doesn’t bombard you with a complex set of features, menus, and options. While some would find its “less is more” approach a turn-off, we especially like its straightforward functionality.
If you’re someone who requires a more robust tool, Keep may not be the one for you. When all you need is something where you can jot down lists and ideas quickly and with little fuss, the Google app is suitable. This doesn’t mean that Keep has remained as bare-bones as it started, though.
Over the course of a few months, Google Keep has added a few more note-taking tools. For instance, you can now organize notes by tags. That’s in addition to its ability to make notes via dictation, create lists of checkboxes or attach images/videos within notes.
Synchronized Reminders
A major risk that comes with working across various devices daily is missing out on important reminders and notifications. With Google Keep’s spectacular system tied to other Google services, you don’t have to suffer such a nuisance.
This means that if you set a note to remind you at a specific date, time, and place, you’ll get notifications on every device you’re signed in. Whether it shows up as an email in your Gmail inbox or as a notification on your Android phone, you won’t be forgetting any crucial engagements you’ve taken note on Keep.
What Could Google Keep Improve in the Future?
While Google Keep has stayed true to its overall simplicity, it still lacks features to make it a more compelling service. These are a few of its flaws that keep it from topping other renowned note-taking app on the market:
Lack of Thorough Search Function
Sure, you’ll find a search box at the top of the app. Surprisingly, you can’t use it to find specific word or phrase within individual notes. Even Keep’s desktop app frustratingly lacks in this area since pressing Ctrl + F (search shortcut) doesn’t do anything at all.
For a tech giant who’s made a name for its Internet search business, not putting a powerful Find tool on Google Keep seems like a glaring omission.
No Simple Text Formatting Tool
There are times when putting a bold font or an italicized style into a note (for emphasis) may come in handy. It has been years and yet Google Keep still lacks such a simple text formatting function.
Unable to Pin Notes
On most days, we’re fine with the app’s preference for chronological order. How about instances when we create crucial notes that need to be on top of everything for easy recall? Well, you have to manually drag each subsequent notes a few spots down every time—an absolute waste of time.
We’re crossing our fingers that Google Keep may soon have an ability to pin notes to the top of the app.
A combination of ease-of-use and functionality makes Google Keep a great tool for making and remembering tasks, lists, and reminders. It’s especially useful when you’ve deeply invested in the Google ecosystem already. Feel free to download the app from the Play Store or visit keep.google.com to start jotting down electronic notes!
Besides bringing back order into your digital life, Google also offers other very useful tools for organization. In fact, we’ve been amazed (and we’re sure you will be, too) at how handy Google Trips and Google Flights have been during our recent excursions!
