Etch

Etch it into memory.

A tiny app for the things you don't want to forget. Capture them as quickly as you'd take a photo — say it, or clip it from what you're reading — and Etch deals them back to you, a few cards at a time, until they're etched in.

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Say it

A podcast drops a gem mid-walk, a museum guide mentions an anecdote, the radio names a song you love. Say it out loud in your own words — Etch transcribes on your iPhone and, if you want, on-device AI shapes it into a clean card. You confirm, and it's saved.

Clip it

Reading something worth keeping? Select the text and share it to Etch. The back of the card is written from the passage itself — and shared from Safari's toolbar, the card keeps a link back to the page.

It comes back

No due dates, no streaks, no score. Tap the band and Etch deals a handful of five cards. Reveal each one, then mark it etched in — or bring it back. Missed cards return first; the rest rotate so nothing fades away.

For the things worth keeping

A quote that stopped you mid-page. The song from the end credits. The painter from that exhibition. Your colleague's kids' names. The Italian word you keep looking up. The film a friend swore by at dinner. Etch is for the small things you'd hate to forget but would never sit down to memorize. Write them in a notes app and they're gone; give them to Etch and they come back.

How it works

Capture takes seconds: say it, write it, or clip it. Each thing becomes a card — a question and its answer, or a single fact — with a colored label from your own list. You always see the card before it's saved, and you can edit anything. Later, in a spare moment, tap the band: Etch deals a handful of five, you reveal each answer and mark it etched in or bring it back. That's the whole loop.

Etch home screen with a list of captured cards and the capture bar at the bottom
A question card ready to be revealed

AI, only if you want it

Etch works with Apple Intelligence, entirely on your iPhone — and it's a choice, not a requirement. One switch in Settings turns AI formatting on or off. Off, nothing is ever reshaped: your cards keep your words exactly as captured.

With it on, a spoken note is transcribed on the device and shaped into a clean card, with a label suggested from your own list — never invented. A clipped passage gets its answer written from the passage itself, not from the model's general knowledge, so the card can't drift from what you actually read. Every card waits for your OK before it's saved — and either way, nothing ever leaves your phone.

Also nice

Two card types — question & answer, or a plain fact. Colored labels to keep topics apart. Search and filters to bring a subject back to hand before a conversation. A handful of five in one tap — or a longer run of 10, 25 or everything when you feel like it. Clipped cards keep a tappable link to where you read them. Dictate in up to three languages, independent of the app's language. Light and dark mode. English and French. Private iCloud sync across your devices — optional, like the AI — and a full export of your cards whenever you want one.

Frequently asked

Is Etch a notes app?
It sits between a notes app and a deck of cards. A note is where things go to be safe, and, usually, forgotten. Etch keeps each thing you capture as a small card and deals you a handful from time to time, so what you saved actually comes back to you. There are no due dates, no streaks — nothing to keep up with. Just your notes, resurfacing.
How does voice capture work, with and without AI?
Tap the mic and say it in your own words. Etch transcribes on the device. If AI formatting is on (a switch in Settings), Apple Intelligence — also on the device — shapes the transcript into a clean card: a question and its answer, or a single fact, with a label suggested from your own list. It never invents labels or facts, and you can edit everything before the card is saved. With AI off, the card simply keeps your words exactly as you spoke them.
How does clip-to-card work, with and without AI?
Select text in whatever you're reading and share it to Etch (Share → Etch). With AI on, the back of the card is written from the passage itself — never from the model's general knowledge — so the card can't drift from what you actually read. With AI off, your selection is kept word for word. Either way, you see the card before it's saved. Tip: in Safari, share with the toolbar share button rather than the text-selection popup — the card then also keeps a tappable link back to the page.
Do I have to use the AI?
No. AI formatting is one switch in Settings, and turning it off changes nothing else: capture, labels, cards coming back, the whole app works the same, your words just stay exactly as captured. When it's on, everything runs on your iPhone through Apple Intelligence. Nothing is ever sent to a server.
Does Etch need an account or an internet connection?
No account, no sign-up. Transcription, AI, and your cards all live and run on your iPhone. If you use iCloud, your cards sync across your devices through your own private iCloud; without it, everything simply stays on the device.
Which iPhones does Etch support?
Etch requires iOS 26. AI formatting and label suggestions use Apple Intelligence, which needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. On other iPhones everything else works exactly the same — say it, write it, clip it, and it comes back — your cards just keep your words as captured.
Which languages does Etch support?
The app is in English and French. Dictation is independent: choose up to three languages from the twenty or so the on-device recognizer supports, so you can for instance keep the app in English and dictate cards in Spanish.
What data leaves my device?
Nothing. Etch has no analytics, no ads, no third-party services, and no account. Your cards live on your iPhone and — if you use iCloud — in your own private iCloud database, accessible only to you. You can also export all your cards as a file, anytime. See the Privacy Policy for details.

Privacy

Everything happens on your iPhone. The AI runs on-device through Apple Intelligence — your words, your clips, and your cards are never sent to a server. No account, no analytics, no third parties. If you use iCloud, cards sync through your own private iCloud database, readable by no one but you. Full details in the Privacy Policy.

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