iOS 18: What's New With the Calculator App

Apple doesn't typically focus much on the Calculator app, but with iOS 18, it's getting a notable overhaul and some surprising integration with the Notes app.

iOS 18 Calculator Feature
This guide walks through everything that's new with the Calculator in ‌iOS 18‌ (and iPadOS 18).

Math Notes

The biggest change to the Calculator app is the addition of Math Notes, a feature that's basically an integration between the Calculator and the Notes app.

ios 18 math notes
Math Notes lets you type equations in the Notes app and have them solved automatically when you put in an equals sign. So you can do things like calculate how much everyone owes for a group trip, or split up a dinner bill.

You can do more complex equations too, defining variables and then using those definitions for your calculations. If you write dinner = $57 and movies = $24 in a note, for example, you can then type in "dinner + movies" and add an equals sign and get the total, with the Math Notes feature understanding what you're referencing.

In Math Notes, your equations are solved automatically wherever you put in an equals sign, as that signals to Apple that you want to solve what you've typed.

Math Notes is technically a Notes app feature, but you can in fact start a Math Note in the Calculator app, and use it right there without having to swap over to Notes.

  1. Open up the Calculator app.
  2. Tap on the calculator symbol at the bottom left of the app.
  3. Select Math Notes.
  4. Tap on the new note symbol at the bottom right of the display.
  5. Start your calculations.

You can do this same thing directly in the Notes app with any existing or new note. It's all the same feature, just accessed from different places.

If you're in a Math Note in the Calculator app and you want to get back to the standard calculator interface, just tap again on the calculator icon and choose the Basic or Scientific option.

Apple says that Math Notes is available for math written using Western Arabic numerals and common mathematical symbols, or typed using Arabic (Eastern & Western) and Devanagari numerals and common mathematical symbols.

Math Notes on iPad

With ‌iPadOS 18‌, Math Notes works in the same way, but there is an added bonus - you can use the Apple Pencil. Once you start a Math Note from the Calculator app or the Notes app, you can write your equations by hand and have them solved in the exact same way.

ipados 18 math notes

Math Notes Everywhere

You can in fact get Math Notes results almost anywhere in the operating system. If you type an equation into search, for example, you'll get a result, and the same goes for apps like Messages.

ios 18 math notes anywhere

Unit Conversion

When using Math Notes, you can do unit conversions. Just type in what you want to convert, and you'll get the result automatically. For example, if you type in 10 kilograms to pounds in the Math Notes interface in the Calculator app, the result is automatically generated.

ios 18 conversions
Unit conversions work in search, Messages, Notes, the Calculator app, and more.

Calculation History

If you open up the Calculator app and tap on the three lines at the upper left of the interface, you can see a history of all of the calculations you have entered into the app. Apple only saves calculations done with the Basic or Scientific calculators here, and Math Notes are saved in the Notes app.

ios 18 history
You can long press on any of the calculations to copy either the expression or the result, and if you swipe, you can delete them from the list. You can also tap on the Edit button to select several expressions to delete, or use the Delete All option from this menu to clear out the app.

Portrait Orientation

There is now an option to use the scientific calculator in portrait orientation, so you don't need to turn your iPhone to landscape orientation to get to it anymore.

ios 18 scientific calculator

Read More

Additional information on new features that Apple has added in ‌iOS 18‌ can be found in our iOS 18 roundup.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...

Top Rated Comments

EllieCat Avatar
10 months ago
Nice to see the calculator become more useful instead of using third party apps.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wanted797 Avatar
10 months ago
[HEADING=2]What's New With the Calculator App[/HEADING]

*Talks about notes app*
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Scott H Avatar
10 months ago
Is the new calculator app working correctly? For example: 1 divided by 9 = 0.11111111 then multiply by 9 = 0.99999999
I think I should get 1 as my final answer not 0.99999999. Other calculator apps give me 1 as my final answer.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsba Avatar
10 months ago
Can it be set to Reverse Polish Notation (RPN)? I've gotten used that inputting format from the HP days. I do have an HP41 calculator app on my iPad and iPhone.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crowbot Avatar
10 months ago

pfffft...The Math Notes couldn't even solve the first simple equation I wrote in it. And, coincidentally, the equation is what Apple uses to justify its memory pricing.


My brother is a theoretical physicist. His Masters thesis looked like this. Pages and pages of it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BipedalOS Avatar
10 months ago

Is the new calculator app working correctly? For example: 1 divided by 9 = 0.11111111 then multiply by 9 = 0.99999999
I think I should get 1 as my final answer not 0.99999999. Other calculator apps give me 1 as my final answer.
Works fine on iOS 17
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)