Apple's iOS 18 Math Notes has changed the way I budget plan: Here's how you can benefit too

(Image credit: Future / Apple)

When Apple first revealed Math Notes for iPadOS 18, I thought to myself: “That’s pretty cool, but when would I ever use it?” Now, after downloading the iOS 18 public beta and trying Math Notes on an iPhone, I’m fully convinced that these new capabilities to do calculations are going to be incredibly useful.

You see, in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, Math Notes isn’t confined to the Calculator app. If you head to Notes you can type equations and do quick arithmetic all without using a calculator. If you think that sounds impressive, wait until I show you how I’ve been using these new powers to completely overhaul my budget planning.

Does this sound interesting? Here’s how you can use Math Notes in iOS 18 to quickly calculate whatever you need.

Math Notes = Win

I don’t want to go too in-depth into Math Notes right now as I’ve already written about it plenty and think it deserves a dedicated how-to guide. Instead, I want to focus this article on how Math Notes can change simple tasks that you do daily without the need for an Apple Pencil or opening the Calculator app.

I’ve been using iOS 18’s calculator capabilities to simply tally up costs of my monthly expenses and then Math Notes does all the work to tell me exactly how much everything costs. This is ideal for trying to work out a vacation budget, for example. I used Math Notes in a shared note with my girlfriend earlier this week on vacation in France and it was a brilliant way to keep on top of things without constantly opening my banking apps.

To use Math Notes in Notes simply:

Open Notes
Type a word like “Rent” followed by = and a price
Add as many items and prices to your list
Type for example “Rent + Food =”
Watch as iOS 18 calculates the total

For adults out there who don’t use handwriting to do equations, this variation of Math Notes is probably going to be the way you use the new feature. It’s quick, accurate, and really easy to use.

The iOS 18 public beta doesn’t have access to Apple Intelligence but I presume Apple’s AI features will improve the power of Math Notes by allowing you to combine the calculations you do with other elements of iOS like Siri or your Mail app. iOS 18 is set to officially launch later this year alongside the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro and being able to calculate a quick budget in Notes might just be one of its most useful new additions.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.