Popular note-taking platform Bear received an update on Wednesday across Mac and iOS that adds a number of community-requested features to the Apple Notes rival.

Top of the feature list in version 1.2.2 is the ability to highlight parts of notes in a neon color to indicate importance, by bracketing text in "::" tags.

Bear Notes MacOver on the Mac, it's now possible to break out Bear notes into separate windows for easy reference between multiple entries, simply by double-clicking them in the notes list.

To simplify organization, Bear 1.2.2 also has a new option to edit note tags right from the sidebar and notes list. To do this on Mac, click a tag in the sidebar to view all notes with that tag, and then right-click any note and select "Remove tag (X)". The same option can be accessed on iPhone and iPad by tapping a tag in the sidebar, swiping left on a note, and tapping More.

In addition, the app has gained some new advanced search options or "Special Search" triggers. It's now possible to add "@today" or "@yesterday" to searches to find notes with those creation dates. The new functions join existing triggers such as "@untagged" to find all untagged notes, "@tasks" for all notes that contain tasks, and "@files" for notes that have attachments.

Elsewhere, there's new shortcuts for quickly inputting the current date/time in various formats, a new Print Note option and note counter at the top of the notes list, while an AirDrop option has been added over on iOS Share Sheets. It's also now possible to share notes as rich text.

Bear is available to download on the App Store for iPad and iPhone [Direct Link], as well as on the Mac App Store [Direct Link].

Top Rated Comments

heretiq Avatar
104 months ago
i'm still not going to periodically pay $15 for a sync feature. they need to fix their business model. would GLADLY pay $20-$30 one time for a great notes app.
There is nothing to fix in their business model. This is simply the model they've chosen to make their business sustainable. I'm happy to pay $15 a year for Bear. This price is a bargain for a professional, high-quality, multi-device app that I use every day -- from a team of talented professionals who pour their life energies into creating and regularly maintaining a useful, usable and beautiful tool.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
104 months ago
Why would you pay for this, let alone something like Ulysses? I fail to see the point, entirely. Unless the point is "choice", in which case I suppose it is...
The beauty of there being thousands of Mac developers out there is that there are apps being built and sold which meet the needs and desires of different people, so people are free to pay for things you yourself might not want or need.

Let me break it down for you.

For example, let's say someone (you, maybe) has no need for Ulysses' organizing, syncing and editing features, and doesn't want to pay for Ulysses. Hmm. Thorny problem. Why should you pay for this app you have no use for? Seems very unfair, right? The great news is, as it turns out, you don't have to! In fact, you can find and download whatever app meets your needs, maybe a free one like Notes or TextEdit, maybe something else.

Alright, now you're asking, "Yeah, but what about Ulysses? It makes me mad that someone would pay for that when I don't need its features."

Great question. Turns out other people have different needs than you. Crazy, right? So let's say some nutjob actually wants to blow their hard-earned money on an app like Ulysses because they want all these extra features, like iCloud sync, and all these output options, and organizing features. Maybe they "write a lot" or whatever. Get this: they can still pay for Ulysses, get use out of it and support the developers who make it, and, crazily, it doesn't actually obligate you to buy Ulysses at all! Is your head exploding right now, or what? I know mine is.

Anyway, turns out your using whatever you use and someone using Ulysses (or whatever) are not mutually exclusive. Both can happen at the same time.

What a crazy world we live in!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleInLVX Avatar
104 months ago
The beauty of there being thousands of Mac developers out there is that there are apps being built and sold which meet the needs and desires of different people, so people are free to pay for things you yourself might not want or need.

Let me break it down for you.

For example, let's say someone (you, maybe) has no need for Ulysses' organizing, syncing and editing features, and doesn't want to pay for Ulysses. Hmm. Thorny problem. Why should you pay for this app you have no use for? Seems very unfair, right? The great news is, as it turns out, you don't have to! In fact, you can find and download whatever app meets your needs, maybe a free one like Notes or TextEdit, maybe something else.

Alright, now you're asking, "Yeah, but what about Ulysses? It makes me mad that someone would pay for that when I don't need its features."

Great question. Turns out other people have different needs than you. Crazy, right? So let's say some nutjob actually wants to blow their hard-earned money on an app like Ulysses because they want all these extra features, like iCloud sync, and all these output options, and organizing features. Maybe they "write a lot" or whatever. Get this: they can still pay for Ulysses, get use out of it and support the developers who make it, and, crazily, it doesn't actually obligate you to buy Ulysses at all! Is your head exploding right now, or what? I know mine is.

Anyway, turns out your using whatever you use and someone using Ulysses (or whatever) are not mutually exclusive. Both can happen at the same time.

What a crazy world we live in!
Feeling punchy? :D Thank you for the great read. Can always use a laugh. I was going to outline the reasons why I, as resident nutjob, use Ulysses, but this is a far better response.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
104 months ago
Feeling punchy? :D Thank you for the great read. Can always use a laugh. I was going to outline the reasons why I, as resident nutjob, use Ulysses, but this is a far better response.
Thanks, and if 20 minutes spent responding on a web forum lets me procrastinate actually writing, it's time well spent.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleInLVX Avatar
104 months ago
Anyone who doesn't like the business model, do what I do and just use Ulysses. It's served me well for years, and no bloody SaaS.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ikir Avatar
104 months ago
Yes I agree, Bear is awesome, super fast on iOS and macOS, they implement many new features constantly, paying 15$/year it is well deserved for their work
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...