What's new in Apple Notes in iOS 27, and how to use it
iOS 27 and macOS 27 came out on 14 September, and Apple Notes got some of the features I've wanted for years. Here's what's new, how to use each one, and where ChatGPT and Claude fit.
Try these 5 things in Apple Notes today
- Add a divider line to your longest note
- Make its sections headings, then link to one from the top
- Paste a ChatGPT or Claude answer into a note as Markdown and watch it format itself
- Select part of a note and choose Copy as Markdown
- Ask Siri AI “What was the note with…” (iPhone 15 Pro or later)
Copy it into a note, select the lines and tap the checklist button. That's every new feature, tried once.
What's new, in one table
| Feature | On iPhone | On a Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Divider lines | Edit menu, Expand button, Insert Divider Line | Edit, Insert Divider Line (Command-L) |
| Links to a section | Add Link, then Link to Section | Edit, Add Link, then Link to Section |
| Copy as Markdown | In the edit menu | Edit, Copy as Markdown |
| Paste Markdown | Turns into headings and lists as you paste | Edit, Paste as Markdown |
| Export as Markdown | Share, Export as Markdown (since iOS 26) | File, Export To, Markdown (was Export as) |
| Siri AI in Notes | Finds notes, and adds to or reformats one when you ask | Siri AI is in beta on macOS 27 too |
Divider lines
- iPhone
- Mac
A plain horizontal line between parts of a note. On iPhone, tap where you want it, tap the Expand button in the edit menu, and choose Insert Divider Line. On a Mac, choose Edit, Insert Divider Line, or press Command-L. Apple describes both in its guides, Create and format notes on iPhone and Format notes on Mac.
Tables aren't on this year's list. They still have no column widths and no formulas; tables in Apple Notes covers what they do and the workarounds.
Links to a section of a note
Headings in a note are now places you can link to, in the same note or in another one. It's the feature that turns a long note into something you can navigate: a contents list at the top, or a link from your weekly plan straight to the right day.
- Make the sections first: select a line, tap the Format button, and choose Heading or Subheading.
- Select the text for the link, or tap where it should go, then choose Add Link from the edit menu (on a Mac, Edit, Add Link).
- Choose Link to Section and pick a heading. Turn on Use Section Title to name the link after it, or type your own name.
To link to a section in another note, link to that note first, then choose Link to Section. There's a shortcut on iPhone: type>> and the note's title, then / to pick one of its sections. If a heading is renamed, links named after it update too. The steps are in Add links in Notes on iPhone.
Markdown in and out
- iPhone
- Mac
- Paste, Mac
- Export, Mac
iOS 26 and macOS 26 added Markdown export and import, one note at a time. iOS 27 and macOS 27 add the everyday half: paste Markdown into a note and it becomes headings, lists and bold text, and select part of a note and choose Copy as Markdown to take it out again. That's handy for anything you write with an AI chat: paste ChatGPT's answer and it arrives formatted, not full of asterisks.
On a Mac, use Edit, Paste as Markdown. When I tried it on macOS 27, a plain Command-V kept the ## and ** as text, and Paste as Markdown turned them into a heading, a list and bold. On iPhone, Apple and the early reports say Markdown formats itself as you paste it.
On a Mac, the export menu moved: it's now File, Export To, then Markdown or PDF. How to export Apple Notes to Markdown has the steps for both versions, what to check in the file, and what to use for every note at once.
A prompt for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini
Answer in Markdown, with short headings and bullet lists, so I can paste it straight into Apple Notes. No tables, no emoji.
Add it to the end of a question, then paste the answer into a note (on a Mac, with Edit, Paste as Markdown). It arrives formatted instead of full of asterisks.
Siri AI and your notes
The new Siri, called Siri AI, can search for notes and search inside them. Apple's example is “What was the note with the cookie recipe?”, in Use Notes on your iPhone. It can also write into Notes: ask it to add something to a new or existing note, or to reformat what's there, as 9to5Mac found in its roundup on 28 September. That's a real change from earlier versions, where Siri could do little more than make a note. Siri AI can also write a draft or proofread something you've written. A few limits, from Apple:
- It's in beta, in English to start, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish due in October.
- It needs an iPhone that runs Apple Intelligence: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 or later.
- It isn't available in the EU on iPhone at first, and some requests count against a daily limit.
Where ChatGPT and Claude fit
Siri now works in your notes, but ChatGPT and Claude mostly still can't. Apple Notes has no public API, so everything an outside AI does with it goes through your device, and it stops there:
| What works with Apple Notes | What doesn't | |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT through Siri | Turn on the ChatGPT extension in Settings, Siri, and Siri can pass a request to ChatGPT, with content you choose to send | Apple doesn't describe a way for ChatGPT to search your notes or save into one |
| The ChatGPT app | Paste a note in, and paste the answer back (it now arrives formatted) | Searching or editing your notes |
| Claude | On a Mac, the Claude desktop app can read and edit Apple Notes through Anthropic's Read and Write Apple Notes extension, and community MCP servers can too | Claude on iPhone and on the web can't reach Apple Notes; Siri doesn't offer Claude as an extension |
| MCP in iOS | Nothing yet | Code for MCP support was spotted in a macOS 26.1 beta, but Apple hasn't shipped or announced it |
Apple's ChatGPT steps are in Use Siri to get answers from ChatGPT. MacRumors found code for other AI providers in macOS 27, and reported on 14 September that Claude isn't available yet. Can Claude read your Apple Notes? sets out the Mac options, and the Apple Notes API post covers what AppleScript and Shortcuts can do.
If you want your AI to work in your notes
iOS 27 makes Apple Notes a nicer place to write, and Siri can now help in it. It doesn't let ChatGPT or Claude keep a list for you, fix a note while you're on the train, or write your standup into it. That's the gap I built Amber Notes for: a notes app for iPhone and Mac that looks and works like Apple Notes, with a server built in that ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Codex and Incredible can use to search, read and edit your notes. You approve each app once, every AI change shows up tinted with an Undo, and older versions stay in the history.
Connecting ChatGPT or Claude takes a couple of minutes. For the full comparison, including what Apple Notes still does better, see Amber Notes vs Apple Notes, and the free templates are ready-made notes, like a trip plan or a weekly review, to start from.
Notes ChatGPT and Claude can work in
Amber Notes looks and works like Apple Notes, and imports your notes from it on the Mac.
Download Amber Notes for MacThe iPhone app is coming to the App Store soon. Amber Notes is on Mac today: send yourself the link to open there.
Send myself the linkAmber Notes is for iPhone and Mac. Send yourself the link to open on one.
Send myself the linkFree, for macOS 26 or later. Importing from Apple Notes only reads it; nothing there changes.
Questions
What's new in Apple Notes in iOS 27?
Divider lines, links to a section of a note, Copy as Markdown and Markdown that turns into headings and lists when you paste it (on a Mac, with Edit, Paste as Markdown), and Siri AI, which can find a note, search inside one, and add to or reformat a note when you ask. On a Mac, macOS 27 brings the same, and renames File, Export as to File, Export To.
How do I add a divider line in Apple Notes?
On iPhone, tap where the line should go, tap the Expand button in the edit menu, then choose Insert Divider Line. On a Mac, choose Edit, Insert Divider Line, or press Command-L.
Can Siri read and write my Apple Notes in iOS 27?
Siri AI can search for a note and search inside notes, for example “What was the note with the cookie recipe?”, and it can add information to a new or existing note and reformat it when you ask. It's in beta, in English to start, on iPhone 15 Pro and later, and not yet in the EU.
Can ChatGPT or Claude read my Apple Notes in iOS 27?
Not on their own. Siri can pass a request to ChatGPT if you turn on the ChatGPT extension, and you choose what goes with it. Claude isn't offered there. Apple Notes still has no API, so the ChatGPT and Claude apps can't search or edit your notes from iPhone or the web.
Checked against the app on .
