Help Centre
Setup, pairing and troubleshooting for DuoNota
Getting started
DuoNota is a private app for two people. You write or draw a short note and it appears on your partner's iPhone home screen as a widget. There is no feed, no likes and nothing to scroll — the note simply sits there until the next one replaces it.
Two things need to happen before notes can flow: you and your partner need to be paired, and each of you needs the widget on your home screen.
Adding the widget
- Touch and hold an empty area of your home screen until the apps jiggle.
- Tap the + button in the top corner.
- Search for DuoNota and select it.
- Swipe to choose a size, then tap Add Widget.
The large widget shows the most of a drawing, so it's the best choice if you send handwritten notes or photos. You can also add DuoNota to your lock screen.
Pairing with your partner
One of you creates a space and shares the invite link — it looks like
duonota.app/join/ followed by a short code. Your partner taps the link and
the app opens straight to the join screen.
The link opened a web page instead of the app
That happens when iPhone has been told to open duonota.app links in Safari. Press and hold the link and choose Open in DuoNota, or tap the Open in App button on the page. If your partner doesn't have the app yet, install it first — the invite is carried across so they won't need to type the code by hand.
The code says it's invalid or expired
Invite codes expire after 48 hours, and a code stops working if the person who created it left the space. Ask your partner to open DuoNota and share a fresh invite.
The widget isn't updating
The widget is refreshed by a silent background notification, so a few settings have to be in place. Work down this list in order:
- Notifications must be enabled. Settings → Notifications → DuoNota → Allow Notifications. This is the most common cause: without it, iPhone has no way to wake the widget when a note arrives.
- Background App Refresh on. Settings → General → Background App Refresh.
- Check Low Power Mode. iPhone delays widget refreshes for every app while Low Power Mode is on.
- Open the app once. Opening DuoNota always pulls the newest note and refreshes the widget immediately. If the note appears the moment you open the app, the note arrived safely and only the background refresh was delayed.
- Re-add the widget. Remove it from the home screen and add it again.
A widget can also briefly show the previous note while a photo is still downloading in the background. Give it a few seconds before assuming it's stuck.
Privacy and encryption
Notes are encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM before they're uploaded. The key is exchanged directly between you and your partner and stored in the iPhone Keychain. We can't read the contents of your notes.
We don't sell your data, we don't show ads, and there's no feed or public profile. See the Privacy Policy for the full detail of what is and isn't stored.
Note limits and Premium
For the first 48 hours after pairing you can send up to 12 notes a day, so there's room to play while the habit forms. After that the free plan allows 3 notes a day.
Premium removes the limit and adds photo notes, read receipts, custom widget styles and your full note history. Premium is shared with your partner — only one of you needs to subscribe for both to get it.
Subscriptions are billed through your Apple ID. To cancel, open the iPhone Settings app, tap your name, then Subscriptions.
Android
DuoNota is currently an iPhone app. You can join the Android waiting list on the home page and we'll email you when it's ready.
Still stuck?
Email hello@duonota.app. It reaches a real person. Telling us your iPhone model and iOS version helps a lot, especially for widget problems.