Notability's New Mac Catalyst App Adds Shape Detection, Apple Pencil Support for Sidecar, and More

The developers behind the popular note-taking app Notability today announced a brand-new version of Notability for macOS, based on Apple's Mac Catalyst technology.

Notability Feature
The latest version will bring popular features from Notability on the iPad to the Mac. Now, Notability on macOS supports shape detection, paper backgrounds, Apple Pencil for ‌iPad‌ when using Sidecar, and more. Marc Provost, the apps team director, calls the update "especially useful for students who take notes on ‌iPad‌ and also use a Mac for studying."

Mac Catalyst enables us to maintain feature parity across Apple devices, something we've wanted to offer for a long time. This can be especially useful for students who take notes on iPad and also use a Mac for studying. They can easily pick up where they left off with the same functionality and experience.

Existing customers of Notability for iPhone and Pad can download the new Mac version of the app for free from the Mac App Store. New customers can purchase the new app for a discounted price of $3.99, compared to its regular $8.99 price tag.

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
watchos 26 workout app

Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way

Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating. When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
ipad black friday 2025

The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:20 am PST by
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Two More U.S. States Commit to Offering iPhone Driver's Licenses in Apple Wallet App

Thursday November 20, 2025 8:21 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Earlier this week, Illinois became the 13th state in the U.S. to offer the feature. Subsequently, we shared a list of additional states that are committed...

Top Rated Comments

drntgogol Avatar
61 months ago
Same for me over here in the UK, £3.99 listed but I have the old macOS version, and iOS versions for iPhone and iPad. However, I decided to buy it anyway, clicked the Buy button and then it said something like This Update is Free, Click OK to download and I did that, so it was free in the end.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chrfr Avatar
61 months ago

I really don’t understand why everyone seems to be stressing so much about whether this app, that only cost a few dollars, is free for existing users.
I'd have paid the $4 so I wasn't concerned, but my issue is with how poor the App Store upgrade experience is. A user has to click through 2 different dialogs which tell them that they will be charged before they discover that there actually is no charge. Apple is putting up barriers to users and making the experience worse, and furthermore increases the support load for the developer who now has to answer lots of questions about why the update isn't actually free.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eddy Munn Avatar
61 months ago

Same for me over here in the UK, £3.99 listed but I have the old macOS version, and iOS versions for iPhone and iPad. However, I decided to buy it anyway, clicked the Buy button and then it said something like This Update is Free, Click OK to download and I did that, so it was free in the end.
This worked for me as well.



Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheGreenDog Avatar
61 months ago
For the people who were concerned about high CPU usage: I am almost certainly sure this is due to initial note indexing (for search) that happens locally. When all notes are indexed CPU usage should go down.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sidewinder3000 Avatar
61 months ago

As an existing Notability customer, I cannot figure out how to download the Mac (Big Sur) version for free. I'm logged into the Mac App Store (US) correctly, but am prompted to purchase the Mac version of Notability. I've browsed Ginger Labs' website (including support section for the Mac), but cannot find any indication that the Mac app is free for existing customers.
I’m happy to pay a few bucks for a great app. I want them to be rewarded for big updates like this and be able to pay their employees. I expect small maintenance updates to be free, but I have no problem paying for large updates like this. Especially when the initial investment in the program was so low.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisFa Avatar
61 months ago
I have the Notability app on my iPad and the "old" "non-catalyst" version on my Mac. Weirdly enough, the "new" catalyst version is still priced at 5.49$ CAD even if I bought the app with the same Apple ID back then. Maybe they didn't update their pricing yet?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)