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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.cleftnotes.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Cleft on iPad is the iPhone app, scaled up. Same recording, same widgets, same Siri — with a two-column layout, multi-window, Apple Pencil, and Magic Keyboard on top. Read on one side, capture on the other; squeeze the Pencil to start a thought without putting your tea down.
Cleft on iPad in landscape with notes list on the left and a call-notes summary on the right

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Start fast

Five ways to begin a note without stopping what you’re doing:
  • Apple Pencil Pro squeeze — squeeze the barrel to start a voice note (iPadOS 17.5+, Pencil Pro only)
  • Lock Screen widget — long-press the lock screen → Customize → add Cleft
  • Control Center tile (iPadOS 18+) — pull from the top-right, tap Cleft Record
  • Magic Keyboard — open Cleft, hit +, or use ⌘ + ⏎ in the editor
  • Siri — “Hey Siri, new Cleft note”
Once recording starts, the timer sits in a Live Activity on the lock screen and the Dynamic Island (M4 iPad Pro). Tap to stop or save without opening the app.

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Record a note

1

Tap +, squeeze the Pencil, or ask Siri

Cleft starts a recording in the foreground while you keep doing whatever else you were doing — reading a PDF in Split View, typing in another app, sketching in the Pencil Pro grip.
2

Talk, then stop

Pause and resume as you go. Use Space to pause/resume, Esc to cancel, Return to finish — when you have a Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard attached.
3

Read the formatted note

A summary, key points, and any action items are waiting on the right pane. Edit with Pencil Scribble or Magic Keyboard, send onward.Cleft on iPad in portrait with notes list on the left and a formatted note with headings, bullets, and action items on the right
For mic technique and language settings, see Recording Voice Notes.

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What iPad is best at

Two windows at once

Stage Manager and Split View let you keep a source document open while you draft a note in Cleft right next to it.

Apple Pencil capture

Squeeze Apple Pencil Pro to start a voice note. Use Scribble to handwrite edits straight into the editor.

Magic Keyboard control

Format, send, and navigate with shortcuts — no trackpad needed when you’re docked.

Inherits the iPhone toolkit

Lock-screen widgets, Control Center, Siri, App Shortcuts, Spotlight, Focus filters — all the iPhone surfaces work on iPad too.

Couch-friendly long form

The bigger canvas and better speakers make iPad the right place for 20-minute think-out-louds and lecture capture.

Spotlight search

Cleft notes show up in iPadOS Spotlight. Swipe down on the Home Screen and type a phrase to find any note.

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iPad moments worth stealing

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Read on the left, capture on the right

Open a paper, transcript, or web article in one window; open Cleft in the other via Split View. Hit + in Cleft and narrate your reactions as you read — quotes, push-back, questions. The note ends up structured by Custom Instructions so it’s a usable artefact, not a wall of stream-of-consciousness. Setup: see Multi-window and Stage Manager below.

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Squeeze the Pencil, talk, get back to drawing

You’re sketching or annotating with Apple Pencil Pro. An idea lands. Squeeze the barrel — Cleft starts a new voice note in the background. Talk for thirty seconds, lock the iPad, keep drawing. The formatted note is waiting next time you open Cleft. Use Custom Instructions to shape that rough thirty seconds into something structured.

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A daily note you append to all day

Pin one note — a daily journal, a project log, a travel diary — to a Home Screen widget. Tap the widget every time you have something to add and Cleft appends to that note instead of starting a new one. Setup: Pin a note to your widget · Appending to Notes · Daily Capture Routines

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Magic Keyboard meeting station

Dock the iPad in the Magic Keyboard, hit + to start recording, talk through the call. After, edit the summary with Scribble or the keyboard, then:
  • ⌘ + ⇧ + S — generate a public link for collaborators
  • ⌥ + P — push straight into Notion
  • ⌘ + C — copy as Markdown for Slack, email, anything
Repeatable structure: Meeting Notes System.

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Long-form thinking on the couch

iPad is the best Cleft device for 15-to-30 minute recordings — better speakers and battery than iPhone, none of the desk-bound posture of Mac. Prop it on a stand, hit record, talk through a problem out loud. The transcript and summary are ready when you sit back down. Mic technique: Recording Voice Notes.

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From iPhone or Watch, finish on iPad

Capture on the move with iPhone or Apple Watch; pick up the formatted note on iPad to edit, tag, and send onward. Sync happens through your Cleft account — no extra setup. Apple Watch · iOS · Working with Notes

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Pull a thought back via Spotlight

Forgot which note had the quote you wanted? Swipe down on the Home Screen, type a phrase, and Cleft notes appear right alongside Mail, Messages, and Files. Tap to jump straight to the note.

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Multi-window and Stage Manager

iPad lets you run two Cleft windows side by side — useful for referencing one note while editing another, or recording in one window while reading in the other.
1

Open a second window

Swipe up to reveal the Dock, long-press the Cleft icon, choose Open in New Window. Or drag the Cleft icon out of the Dock onto the screen.
2

Use Split View or Stage Manager

Drag a window to the left or right edge for Split View, or enable Stage Manager from Control Center to free-arrange windows.
3

Resize freely

The layout adapts as you resize. Below ~600pt wide, Cleft collapses to a single column.
Each window syncs independently. A note created in one window appears in the other after the next sync — pull to refresh in the lagging window for an immediate update.

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Apple Pencil

  • Scribble — handwrite anywhere you can type; iPadOS converts to text.
  • Apple Pencil Pro squeeze — squeeze to start a new voice note (iPadOS 17.5+, Pencil Pro only). Toggle in iPadOS Settings → Apple Pencil.
Cleft does not have a drawing or annotation surface — Pencil input is for text and quick capture.

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All keyboard shortcuts

Hold ⌘ in any screen to see the chords available in the current context.

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Notes and editing

  • ⌘ + ⌥ + S — show or hide the sidebar
  • ⌘ + ⏎ — save and finish a text note
  • ⌘ + B — bold
  • ⌘ + I — italic
  • ⌘ + K — add link
  • ⌘ + ⌥ + 1 / 2 / 3 — heading 1, 2, 3
  • ⌘ + ⇧ + 7 — numbered list
  • ⌘ + ⇧ + 8 — bulleted list
  • ⌘ + ⇧ + X — strikethrough
  • ⌘ + ⇧ + ’ — block quote
  • ⌘ + ⇧ + C — inline code

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Send

  • ⌘ + C — copy as Markdown
  • ⌘ + ⇧ + S — publish a public link
  • ⌥ + P — send to Notion

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While recording

  • Space — pause or resume
  • Return — finish and save
  • Esc — cancel
The cross-platform reference lives at Keyboard Shortcuts.

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Lock screen, widgets, and Siri

Long-press the lock screen → Customize → add a Cleft accessory above or below the clock. Tap to start a recording without unlocking.
Three widget types: New Note (start a recording), Continue Last Note (append to whatever you recorded last), and Pinned Note (always append to the same note — great for journals and project logs).Full setup: Widgets and Action Button.
While Cleft is recording, a Live Activity appears on the lock screen with stop, save, and cancel controls. M4 iPad Pro shows the same status in the Dynamic Island.
Pull from the top-right, tap +, find Cleft. Adds a Record or Continue tile so you can start a note from any app.
“Hey Siri, new Cleft note” works the same as on iPhone. Build custom Apple Shortcuts on top of Cleft’s App Intents, or trigger Cleft from a Focus filter.Recipes: Apple Shortcuts integration.

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Audio

Cleft uses whichever microphone iPadOS routes to it:
  • Built-in microphone — works out of the box; iPad Pro’s array is genuinely good for couch dictation
  • AirPods Pro / Max — better in noisy spots thanks to noise cancellation
  • USB-C and Bluetooth headsets — pick up automatically once paired
iPadOS asks for microphone access the first time you record. If recording fails, open Settings → Cleft → Microphone and make sure it’s enabled. Check Focus mode permissions too — some Focus filters silence the mic.
  • Use a stand for long sessions; ~12–18 inches from the mic array works well
  • AirPods are the safest bet in shared or noisy spaces
  • Record in landscape if you’ll be near speakers — keeps the mic away from playback bleed

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Settings

Open Cleft and tap the gear icon:
  • General — theme, transcription language, date and time format, Preflight Mode for offline
  • Style — how Cleft formats your notes
  • Integrations — Notion, Apple Reminders, and other destinations
  • Widgets — in-app guide for adding lock and home screen widgets
  • Account, Support, Roadmap
System-level controls — microphone permission, Siri phrase, Focus filters, Apple Pencil, Stage Manager — live in the iPadOS Settings app.

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Troubleshooting

Apple Pencil squeeze not starting a note? Confirm the Pencil is Apple Pencil Pro, iPadOS is 17.5 or later, and squeeze is enabled in Settings → Apple Pencil.Keyboard shortcut not firing? Tap into the editor first so the field has focus. Hold ⌘ to confirm the chord is listed in the current screen.Two Cleft windows showing different notes? Each window syncs independently — pull to refresh in the lagging window.Microphone not working? Settings → Cleft → Microphone → make sure it’s enabled. Check Focus mode permissions too.Still stuck? Contact support.