Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung Notes does not currently support custom fonts or typefaces, as the app wholly relies on an Android device’s system font setting.
- The manager for Samsung Notes today explained that third-party fonts are not available in the app due to copyright issues.
- After a user requested expanded font support for Samsung Notes on the Samsung Community forums, the manager wrote Samsung is “considering” improving the situation.
Samsung Notes is a versatile One UI app that serves as a note-taker, PDF viewer and annotator, and voice recorder all in one. However, the robust notebook is still missing a feature Samsung fans have longed for, which is the ability to use custom fonts in Samsung Notes. The current implementation of fonts in Samsung Notes strictly relies on the device’s font setting. While the Samsung Notes app supports other kinds of text formatting, the only way to change the font in a note is by adjusting the system-wide Android font, and this is hardly a proper solution.
That might be changing in a future Samsung Notes update following one user’s request on the Samsung Community forums (via SamMobile). The poster asked for Samsung Notes to support individual fonts in a single note separate from the Android system fonts, calling it a necessary feature for students and organization in general. The manager for Samsung Notes replied saying that the company is “considering” improving font support in the app.
The exchange revealed that Samsung Notes doesn’t support third-party fonts due to copyright concerns. “We apologize for not providing support for fonts yet,” the manager wrote, translated to English. “Due to copyright issues, we are currently not supporting this. We are considering improving this part.” It’s hardly a guarantee that more font support is coming to Samsung Notes app, but it does confirm that Samsung is aware of the customer demand for this feature.
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Samsung’s explanation for why third-party custom fonts aren’t supported in the Notes app hinges on the reality that most typefaces are copyrighted material. While some fonts are available in the public domain and free to use, many require licenses to be used in commercial settings, like apps. Samsung’s avoidance of third-party fonts in the Samsung Notes app likely has to do with these intricacies.
As the Samsung Community forum poster explained, even a few custom fonts in Samsung Notes could improve the app’s organizational tools. Currently, there is no way to differentiate certain parts of a note from the rest with a unique typeface. Formatting styles like bold, italics, and underline are available in Samsung Notes today, but adding third-party fonts would immediately expand the customization options for users.
What other note-taking features would you like to see Samsung add to the Notes app? Let us know in the comments below.
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