Math Notes, a nifty app for iOS, has received a significant upgrade with iOS 27, but it's not without its flaws. The app, which allows users to handwrite or type math equations and get instant answers, has been integrated into the regular folders and now includes Siri AI for drafting complex equations. However, the author finds the experience frustrating on the iPhone due to the finicky keyboard implementation, which requires an absurd level of precision. The app feels like a nightmare to navigate, with the calculation pipeline breaking easily. The author suggests that Math Notes is best on iPadOS, where the use of an Apple Pencil and the iPad's palm rejection and canvas layout make the experience feel natural. The app was clearly built as a showcase for the iPad, and on a tablet, it's genius. However, on iOS, it feels tacked on. The author also suggests that Siri could be a better solution, but it's not yet ready to replace the phone keyboard. To transform Math Notes from a gimmick to a useful tool on the iPhone, Apple needs to push three critical quality-of-life updates before the final release this fall: dedicated 'Variable' pills, a 'Link to Graph' context menu, and visual error indicators. For now, the author recommends using an iPad instead of the iPhone to experience the magic of Math Notes.
