Helping iA Writer & Android Markdown Notetakers

Recent changes to Google Drive have forced some developers to remove Google Drive support or in extreme cases such as iA Writer to entirely withdraw their app from the Google Play store ¹. This is a tough decision for any software company – you always want the best for your customers, but Google has made it increasingly difficult for independent developers to continue supporting the Android platform.

At Supernotes, we’re fortunate to remain unaffected by these changes (learn why below), and we’re dedicated to supporting Android users who want to continue writing in Markdown on their devices. We provide free sync for Markdown notes from your Android device to your other devices (up to 100 notes). This means you can take notes on Supernotes for Android, sync them to a non-Android device, and easily transfer and expand on them in iA Writer or other apps.

Additionally, we’re offering a free month of Supernotes Unlimited for those affected, who want to store and edit their existing Markdown notes indefinitely. With us, there’s no lock-in; you can continue to read, edit and organise your existing notes even after the free period without any obligation to pay.

Psst… Scroll down to the bottom to claim the offer.

Why has this happened?

Google has recently announced that developers are now required to undergo a yearly Cloud Application Security Assessment (CASA) audit, carried out by a third party provider, in order to continue to have write permissions to Google Drive. Panic Inc. and other independent software companies have highlighted how this audit can cost tens of thousands of dollars, a prohibitive expense for many small independent software companies.² Google’s approach seems to prioritize its own security protocols and control over the ecosystem, disregarding the financial strain placed on smaller developers who are unable to afford these steep costs.³

Android is a global platform with over 3 billion active devices ⁴

While Apple has not yet imposed similar requirements, there’s no guarantee they won’t in the future. This uncertainty highlights the importance of building sustainable, platform-agnostic apps that manage their own syncing and storage systems.

At Supernotes, we have taken this approach seriously. Our Android app, along with dedicated apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, is part of a platform-agnostic ecosystem. From our sign-in system to our syncing and storage solutions, everything is developed in-house, ensuring we are not dependent on third-party architecture. We also have a web app that’s accessible from any modern browser, desktop or mobile, which means you’ll always be able to login and access your notes.

Android is a challenging market

We have also faced challenges with Android, occasionally receiving negative reviews on the Android Play Store because of our sign-in-first and sync approach, even though this strategy has been crucial in protecting us from issues that arise from relying on third-party services (such as Google Drive or Google Sign-In).

We’re against platform lock-in, and we want you to own your data. We just don’t rely on local files for syncing, as we always found them clunky and unreliable. By building our own first-class syncing and seamless storage system, we can ensure a more reliable and consistent experience for our members.

That’s why we also offer extensive export options, including bulk Markdown, PDF, and JSON, alongside an open API that allows you to seamlessly move your notes in and out of Supernotes whenever you like. This independence and versatility safeguards Supernotes (the software) and you (the end user) against the unpredictable changes imposed by major tech companies.

Export all your notes in seconds on Supernotes

How we're trying to help

iA Writer has set the standard for many years as having one of the best markdown editors available. Their dedication to the craft, from typefaces to apps, is second to none. While we’re not a direct substitute for iA Writer (since we’re based on notecards rather than pages), we’re also a Markdown-based app and want to help Android users who have been affected by this.

Edit your Markdown notes on Supernotes for Android, and sync them to all your other devices

So if you’re looking for a new Markdown editor for your Android device and want to continue using iA Writer on your other devices, you can try Supernotes as a syncing solution. Just download Supernotes on your Android device to get started.

Our generous free plan includes 99% of our core features and lets you sync 100 notes for free between your devices. This is perfect if you want to start taking notes on Supernotes on your mobile when you’re out and about; once you get home back at your desktop, Supernotes will be synced, and you can quickly copy the notecard as markdown, just press ShiftCmd / CtrlC, to paste it into iA Writer and work on it further.

Open the Supernotes desktop app, to copy the synced Markdown notes to iA Writer in seconds

Or if you’re keen to switch to using Supernotes entirely and import all your existing notes, just send us a screenshot of iA Writer or any other Markdown-based editor app on your Android phone that’s affected by the recent Google Drive changes to [email protected], and we’ll gift you a free month of Supernotes Unlimited ❤️.

This offer is only available to Android users affected by the recent Google Drive changes, valid until 31st December 2024.

If you’re an Android user we hope this helps out a little bit! Let us know your thoughts over on Threads or Twitter. And if you have any further questions just get in touch with us at [email protected].