iPadOS 18 Notes - How do I turn off spell check for handwriting?

I used to love writing with the calligraphy pen in Notes on the iPad and using design elements to convey what I feel. Having annoying lines under words the OS doesn't recognize pop up, go away, and pop up again makes what was a very relaxing activity considerably less so and litters up the page. This would be a great feature in some cases and one I would use, but I have never seen a spell check that can't be disabled. Can I really not disable the spell check for handwriting here? I am only supposed to use Notes one way?



[Edited by Moderator]

Posted on Sep 22, 2024 9:21 AM

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Posted on Sep 22, 2024 11:42 AM

It cannot be disabled at the moment, but I can imagine that more people want to use this feature without the spell check


`you can submit a future feature request through this form, to tell Apple that you want this to be an option ]

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61 replies

Apr 4, 2025 2:07 AM in response to Hayythere

Hayythere wrote:

Apple notes with pencil is now unusable due to this **** blue dotted lines with every words.. Is it their new AI??


Have you tried the tip outlined in jkirton2’s reply of 8th January?


"The option is imbedded within the options where you can change the types of pen tips (eraser, pen, ruler, etc.) of the Apple Pencil! Click the 3 dots and unselect the ‘Auto-refine handwriting’!"


Oct 20, 2024 3:47 PM in response to inevo

inevo wrote:

As a Hebrew speaker, to me it’s a horrible user experience. Not only that apple doesn’t support Hebrew for many of its features like scribble, but while I simply want to journal in Hebrew I can’t do so due to these spell check underlines. Every word I write seems to it like a total gibberish (understandably).
I would really appreciate that if they don’t spell check other languages other than English, at least give us the option to turn that thing off…


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Jul 14, 2025 5:06 PM in response to magiaros

i went settings / apple intelligence & siri / apps / notes/ and removed everything (learn from this app / show on home screen / and suggest app )


blue lines disappeared for now


lets hope never return and it was just apple intelligence causing the issue


edit : reappeared


there is no hope in this life


maybe in 10 years apple reinvent notes app and make a press conference to announce that blue lines will disappear only with the apple pencil ultra pro 8 special edition (that will cost 350 euros )

Jan 21, 2025 12:35 AM in response to tateff

It’s a system-wide issue for me, and not only does it ruin the handwriting experience, but it’s also incredibly unprofessional during meetings. I’ve annotated PDFs and screenshots in four different languages, and most words end up underlined with blue dots. Even when signing a PDF, Apple isn’t satisfied with my signature and wants to change it to a random word. I spent a significant amount of money on the latest iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Pro, but I can’t use them for handwritten notes because Apple doesn’t like my handwriting. The incompetence of some managers at Apple is mind boggling.

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iPadOS 18 Notes - How do I turn off spell check for handwriting?

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