You can install S Note app and the Extension pack on Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ to fully utilize the S Pen.
Although Samsung favors the Samsung Notes app, S Note app has a few clear advantages, especially for those who need to take notes in meeting rooms or lecture theaters.
This S Note guide explains the features of S Note app, the difference between the S Note app and Samsung Notes app, and shows you how to install S Note app and the extension pack on Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+.
This guide also applies to Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy Note 9. Older Galaxy Note devices have more options in the extension pack.
What’s S Note app?
An outstanding phone requires both the top-notch hardware and some flagship apps.
S Note was the flagship app on Galaxy Note devices. It demonstrates the productivity that S Pen can bring on a relatively large screen.
After the Marshmallow update for Galaxy Note 5, Samsung shifted focus to the general-purpose Samsung Notes app and stopped the active development of S Note app.
But Samsung has NOT abandoned the S Note app, although it has not been pre-installed since Galaxy Note 8. So, you cannot find the S Note app on Galaxy Note 8, 9, and 10.
Basically, S Note is a note-taking app. But it is a very unique note-taking app.
The noteworthy features of the S Note app include:
- It supports multimedia files. You can embed pictures, audios, and videos into the note.
- It supports paginations. You can organize one note into various pages.
- It supports collections. You can organize notes into collections (like books, or book chapters).
- It supports rich text. You can format the text like in Microsoft Word.
- It supports tags.
- It has a built-in illustration art library. You can insert any of the illustrations (and shapes) into a note.
- It supports S Pen.
- It supports pressure levels with S Pen.
- It supports shape recognition (and conversion). The S Note app can convert your dawing
- It supports sketch recording.
- It supports handwriting transformation.
- It supports layers. You can overlay many layers on any location of any pages.
- It supports formula transformation. This feature is available in Note 10. But it seems it does not work as expected. It now converts to a Latex-like expression without r
There are some great features that were removed after Galaxy Note 5. These include:
- Action memo.
- Photo Note. You can convert your photo into lines (sketch).
- Easy chart. You can insert a table, bar, line, or pie chart in the notes as demonstrated in this guide.
- Idea sketch. You can quickly insert and add line arts (sketches) by search with words.
Of course, these features were not available on Galaxy Note 8, Note 9 and Note 10.
S Note vs. Samsung Notes
Samsung used the Samsung Notes app as a replacement of the S Note app.
But this is not an upgrade.
Compared to S Note, the only advantage of the Samsung Notes app is that its interface is more modern.
Samsung Notes does not support layers
Samsung Notes app allows you to type text, write or draw with the S Pen, insert pictures.
But you cannot overlay them.
S Note app does support multiple layers. You can overlay text, drawings, pictures, illustrations, and other items.
You can push up or bring down any layers, adjust the transparency of each layer.
Basically, you can imagine S Note app is 3D, and Samsung Notes app is only 2D.
Samsung Notes lacks the productivity tools
In the S Note app, shape recognition can convert your drawing to some standard shapes automatically.
You can also manually convert your drawing or writing into text, formula, or shape.
Besides, there is a built-in illustration database with the S Note app. You can easily insert them into your notes.
If you draw something in the S Note app, you can record the drawing process.
Unfortunately, none of these features is available on Samsung Notes.
Samsung Notes lacks pagination and collections
S Note was designed for serious note-taking, not for a shopping list.
So, you can take a multi-page note for a class. Then group these notes into a collection. It works just like a real note pad.
On the contrary, Samsung Notes was designed for daily use. There is only one page. Pages may be used automatically when you export the note to PDF or Microsoft Word files.
How to install S Note App on Galaxy Note 10?
Although S Note is not pre-installed on Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ in all regions, Samsung did maintain the app so that all Galaxy Note device owners can still install and enjoy this ancient app.
You can easily install S Note app from Galaxy Store.
Search S Note app in the Galaxy Store
As shown in the screenshot below, type S Note app in the search bar.
Samsung no longer lists S Note app among the “essential apps.”
As shown above, you should be able to find the S Note app.
Please note, S Note is only available for Galaxy Note devices and a few tablets with S Pen.
Install S Note app
You can tap the download icon to install the app without checking it.
Of course, it is recommended to tap the search results to read the details of the app.
In the details page for the S Note app, as shown below, you can then tap the install button to install it to Galaxy Note 10.
You need to wait a while for the installation.
Now, you get the S Note app on Galaxy Note 10.
But this is only the “base” of the S Note app. You MUST install the Extension pack to get the advanced features of the S Note app.
S Note without the Extension pack is almost useless.
How to install S Note extension pack on Galaxy Note 10?
S Note Extension pack is a free add-on offered by Samsung.
Although a few very useful features (e.g., photo note, easy chart, action memo) were gradually removed, the extension pack still offers some extremely useful features including:
- Shape recognition.
- Shape transformation.
- Handwriting transformation.
- Formula transformation.
- Magnified notes.
- Sketch recording.
- Layer properties
So, the Extension pack is essential for S Note app.
If you use S Note app without the Extension pack, it means you do not S Note app. In this case, Samsung Notes or other Note-taking apps (like OneNote) are better for you.
Anyway, you may follow these steps to install S Note Extension pack.
Step 1: Open S Note app
When you open the S Note app for the first time, it will ask for some permissions like storage (to save notes on Galaxy Note 10), camera (to insert photos), and microphone (to add recordings).
You should grant these permissions for the app.
As shown below, in the S Note main page, tap the menu key (3 vertical dots) to access S Note app menu.
As shown above, in the menu, tap More features.
On Galaxy Note 10 ( Note 9 and Note 8), there are only two entries for more features:
- Extension pack.
- S Notre widget.
If you are still using vintage Note devices, for example, Galaxy Note 5 or Note 4, you should have two additional features:
- Easy chart.
- Idea sketch.
As discussed earlier, these two features are not available on Note devices after Galaxy Note 5.
Anyway, tap Extension pack as shown below to check the details.
Step 4: Install S Note Extension pack
After tapping Extension pack in the More features page, you will be directed to the Extension pack page in Galaxy Store, as shown above.
You have to access Extension pack page through the S Note app.
Tap Install to install the extension pack.
Step 5: Use the Extension pack
Extension pack is not an app.
After you install it, S Note app will be different.
For example, the following two screenshots compare the default UI of an empty page.
After installing the extension pack, there are 3 additions on the UI :
- Media insert (A) and selection icon. Without the extension pack, you have to access them from the page menu (read on).
- Shape recognition mode (B).
- Magnified note mode (C).
We will explain these features in separate guides.
The following two screenshots compare the S Note page menu with or without the extension pack.
Two items were added:
- Show Magnified note (D).
- Record sketching (E)
Do you know the difference between the S Note app and Samsung Notes app? Can you install S Note app and Extension pack on Galaxy Note 10 now?
If you have any questions on the difference between Samsung Notes and S Note, or installing S Note app (and extension pack) on Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+, you may let us know in the comment box below.
The community will try to help you.
If you have other Samsung Galaxy Note 10 questions, you may check our Galaxy Note 10 guides.
You can read online or download a PDF version of the official Samsung Galaxy Note 10 users manuals in your language here.
Dan says
Correction of my previous post: The “S Note” app does allow to export to PDF on Android 6 and Android 10. But not to Word or Powerpoint.
Dan says
Fantastic post, extremely relevant for us long time Galaxy Note users with old and new devices.
I will add the following:
-The post is quite relevant still today (2020-11-18)
-Yesterday I discovered I can install “S Note” on my Note 10+ as well as in my Tab S6, from Galaxy Store. I was really happy to know this and I immediately installed the app and all the related packs on both devices. I previously thought S Note was no longer available for newer phones and Samsung Notes had replaced it.
-I also have a fully functional Galaxy Note 4 with Android 6.0.1, I installed the latest version of S Note available for it with all the extension packs, and it does have the extra functions on S Note just like you’ve shown here (Action memo, Photo Note, Easy chart, Idea sketch). Still a great phone and even more considering this S Note app, hugely better than the much older S Note app I had on Android 4.
-The last version of Samsung Notes as of today (2020-11-18) does have many functions you say it doesn’t have, they were incorporated in the preceding months. I can say Samsung Notes has at least these features:
-Layers, you can send things to front or back. However, I havent seen an option to adjust the transparency of each layer, in neither software (Note 4 “S Note”, Note 10+ “S Note” and Note 10+ “Samsung Notes”). Maybe it’s there but I can’t see this transparency option.
-Shape recognition mode, similar to that of S Note, ie you draw a freehand rectangle and it’s transformed into a perfectly straight rectangle.
-Pages, a few versions back Samsung Notes incorporated the posibility to write in finite pages instead of doing everything in one infinite page.
-It has a function similar to Magnified Notes (in spanish it’s called “Panel de escritura fácil” something like “Easy write panel”).
-You can also manually convert your drawing or writing into text, BUT not into formula, or shape.
There are still several features missing on Samsung Notes compared to S Note, but some have been implemented as I listed.
Also Salmsung Notes has features (some of them highly relevant) not available on S Note. The most important I know of is saving to PDF, Word and Powerpoint formats.
One of the most impressive features of these apps is the search function, it will search text on handwritten and typed text on all your notes, and the search speed, even if you have hundreds of notes, is EXTREMELY fast, not only in the latest phones/tablets, also on older devices like the Note 4.
Great content on this site BTW!
Dan says
Correction: The “S Note” app does allow to export to PDF on Android 6 and Android 10. But not to Word or Powerpoint.
Ric Donato says
Interesting article about the S Note. Now I wonder how it compares to the latest Samsung Notes. Sadly your article does not display its submission date, thus we do not know whether the contained information is current or much out of date. When reading articles as your, one of the first things I do is look for submission date.
Simon says
We do update outdated contents regularly. It seems the plugin showing the last update time field was deactivated inadvertently. I will enable it.
But anyway, for Samsung Notes vs S Note, this post is still relevant.
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