How to activate handwriting recognition and search on android device inside of One Note

Question

I have an Ipad Pro and a samsung tab S9

On my ipad I can write freehand and then search all my handwriting in the search bar

When I write on my Samsung S9 it does not make the text searchable

But if I go onto the PC and then lasso the Samsung S9 written notes and press "Link to Text" it flawlessly converts the handwriting into text exactly correctly

So some setting somewhere is stopping the handwritten notes from my Samsung Android S9 from automatically being searchable. In fact, on the samsung I can search the text I hand wrote on my Ipad

Where is this setting that makes ALL my handwriting searchable, not just the handwriting from my Ipad. I know One Note can pick up the words since the Lasso tool converts it correctly, but for some reason I can't figure out why One Note won't make the text searchable from my Android device but it will from my Ipad.

I don't want to lasso all the words all the time, and I want to keep the notes in handwritten form and not in plain text form.

Please assist, what am I missing here, what setting enables the handwriting in One Note for Android to be immediately searchable like it does for Ipad

Answer 1

Hi DannyZecevic,

Thank you for reaching out. My name is Furkaan, a user just like you. I’d be happy to help you with your concerns. The functionality you're looking for, searching handwritten notes directly on the Android version of OneNote, isn't currently available. While OneNote for iPad uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to make handwriting searchable, the Android app lacks this feature.

Here's a breakdown:

iPad: OneNote for iPad utilizes OCR, allowing you to write freely and search for those handwritten words later. Android: OneNote for Android currently doesn't have built-in OCR for handwriting search. Even though the lasso tool in the PC version can convert your handwriting to text, it doesn't automatically make the Android-written notes searchable within the app. Possible Solutions:

Use OneNote on PC: You can continue taking handwritten notes on your Android device and then use the lasso tool with "Ink to Text" on the PC version of OneNote to convert and search them.

Microsoft Feedback: Consider submitting feedback to Microsoft requesting OCR integration for handwritten notes in the Android version of OneNote. You can use the Feedback Hub app on your Android device or the feedback option on the OneNote website. This way, you can contribute to potentially adding this feature in future updates.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Give back to the Community. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below. Best Regards, Furkaan