ellThot.

WellThot Jots — Support

WellThot Jots is a finger-first app for writing things down fast — a phone number, a confirmation code read out over the phone, a name and email, a quick shopping list. Write on a Jot with your finger, organize Jots into notebooks, and sync everything to your own iCloud. Made by WellThot LLC.

Contact

Need help, found a bug, or have a feature request? Email support (at) wellthot.com and we'll get back to you. Including your app version (shown at the bottom of the notebooks list) helps us help you faster.

Guides

Short, step-by-step. Most common first.

The three screens

Jots is three screens deep: your notebooks, the Jots inside one, and a Jot you're writing on. Here's what everything does — tap a number to jump to its explanation.

Writing on a Jot

The writing screenA Jot open for writing, with the navigation bar at the top, the floating ink tools below it, and Jot controls along the bottom.123456789
  1. Back — returns to this notebook's Jots.
  2. Undo and redo — as often as you like.
  3. Lock (Pro) — makes the Jot read-only, so a pocket or a toddler can't add to it. Tap the padlock again when you want to write on it. Auto-Lock, in the notebooks list, does this for you every time you leave a Jot you've written on.
  4. More (•••) — Show/Hide Ink Tools, Jot Settings, Duplicate Jot, Move to Notebook and Delete Jot. Tags, paper, Jot Size, Recolor All Ink and the Save-as-Default options live inside Jot Settings.
  5. New Jot — a blank Jot, right now.
  6. Ink tools — pen style (Ballpoint, Fountain Pen, Calligraphy, Pencil, Highlighter), nib size, any color, then the eraser and the lasso. Each opens a small tray.
  7. Share — send this Jot as an image.
  8. Jot arrows — move through the notebook in the order the grid shows.
  9. Portrait / landscape — turns this Jot, and the ink on it, ninety degrees. Every Jot keeps its own orientation; see Landscape Jots.

A notebook's Jots

A notebook's JotsSix Jots in a notebook shown as a grid of thumbnails: a flight change, a grocery list, a plumber's quote, a to-do list, a wifi code and a kitchen sketch.123456
  1. Back — returns to the notebooks list.
  2. Sort — by name, date created, date modified, or size, and switch between the icon grid and a list.
  3. More (•••) — Select Jots, Notebook Settings, both share formats, and Delete Notebook. Paper and the notebook's name are inside Notebook Settings.
  4. New Jot — added wherever the current sort puts it.
  5. Search Jots — always visible; finds Jots in this notebook by name.
  6. A Jot — tap to open it. Touch and hold for Jot Settings, Rename, Tags, Paper, Duplicate Jot, Move to Notebook and Delete Jot. Pinch the grid to resize the thumbnails.

All your notebooks

The notebooks listEvery notebook, with a Recently Modified smart notebook above and storage totals below.123456789
  1. Sort — order the notebooks by name or by date.
  2. Search Inside All Notebooks (Pro) — searches Jot names across every notebook.
  3. More (•••) — Select Notebooks, Import Notebook, New Notebook from Form, and Settings.
  4. New notebook (Pro after the first) — offers Choose Paper before the first Jot is created.
  5. New Jot — starts a Jot straight away, in the notebook you were last in, without opening it first.
  6. Search Notebooks — always visible; find a notebook by name.
  7. Smart notebooks (Pro) — computed views such as Recently Modified, Empty Jots and Trivial Jots.
  8. A notebook — tap to open. Touch and hold (or swipe) for Notebook Settings, Rename, both share formats, and Delete. Paper is inside Notebook Settings.
  9. Totals — notebooks, Jots and size, plus the app version to quote if you report a bug.

Write your first Jot

  1. Open Jots and tap a notebook (there's one ready on first launch), then tap + to create a Jot.
  2. Draw with your finger — or an Apple Pencil on iPad. The tool bar floats at the bottom: tap the pen, color, or size button and a small tray pops open with the choices.
  3. That's it. Everything saves automatically as you write.
  4. Tip: Jots reopens on the Jot you last wrote on, ready to write. For a brand-new Jot from the Home Screen, touch and hold the Jots icon → New Jot.

Add, browse, and rename Jots

  1. In a notebook you'll see all Jots as a grid of thumbnails. Pinch to make them bigger or smaller.
  2. While writing, tap the compose button for a new Jot; the arrows move between Jots in the same order the grid shows.
  3. Jots sort by name, date created, date modified, or size — the Sort menu in the notebook switches between them. A new Jot appears where the sort places it.
  4. To rename: touch and hold a Jot in the grid → Rename. Or, while writing, open ••• → Jot Settings… and edit the name. A renamed Jot moves to where it now sorts.
  5. Need a copy? Duplicate Jot (touch and hold in the grid, or the ••• menu while writing) makes one instantly, numbering the name for you and carrying over your last-used ink.

Pens, colors, and the lasso

  1. Tap the pen button to choose a style: ballpoint for everyday writing, fountain pen for expressive lines that swell and taper, the calligraphy nib, pencil for a soft tilt-shaded stroke (tilt an Apple Pencil for the effect), or highlighter for translucent emphasis.
  2. The color tray has a full color picker alongside the presets — pick any color, not just the presets.
  3. Found a combination you love? ••• menu → Save Ink as Default, and every Jot opens with that pen from then on.
  4. The lasso selects what you've drawn: circle some strokes, then drag them somewhere better — or use Cut, Copy, Paste, Duplicate, and Delete from the menu that appears. Copied strokes paste onto other Jots too.
  5. Want the Jot to yourself? ••• menu → Hide Ink Tools tucks the bar away; the same item brings it back.

Undo, redo, erase, and recolor

  1. Undo and redo live at the top left while writing — tap them as often as you like.
  2. The eraser is with the pen tools; it removes whole strokes, so a stray line comes off cleanly.
  3. Recolor All Ink (Jot Settings) repaints every stroke on the Jot to a chosen color, keeping each stroke's pen type and width. One undo reverts the whole Jot.

Draw right in Messages

  1. Open Messages, go into any conversation, and tap the + (or the grey App Store icon) next to the text box to open the row of iMessage apps.
  2. First time only: if you don't see Jots, tap ••• in that row, then Edit, and turn Jots on. Opening the main Jots app once first can help it show up.
  3. Tap the Draw a Jot card to open a small canvas — it opens on your tap, not automatically; iOS doesn't allow that.
  4. Draw with the same pens, colors, eraser, and lasso as the full app, then tap Add to Message. It drops into the message box — you still tap Send.
  5. Whoever receives it does not need Jots. They just see a picture, sent as-is; there's nothing to import or open.
  6. This is free — no Jots Pro required.

Bring your own paper

  1. From another app: tap Share on a PDF or scan, then choose Jots. Jots takes a private copy — the original file is never touched.
  2. From inside Jots: notebooks list → + → New Notebook from Form…, then pick a PDF already on your device.
  3. Either way, the document becomes the background of a Jot — a form you can write on, or a form letter you're annotating — and every new Jot you add to that notebook offers the same blank form.
  4. Built-in form templates are also available without picking a file: a notebook's Notebook Paper… picker includes templates like "While You Were Away," Meeting Notes, and an Expense Log.
  5. Forms are a Jots Pro feature, like other custom backgrounds.

Share a Jot or a notebook

  1. A Jot: while writing, tap the share button to send the Jot as an image — Messages, Mail, AirDrop, anywhere.
  2. A notebook, two ways: touch and hold the notebook in the list (or swipe its row) and pick either one.
  3. Share as PDF — for anyone. Every Jot in the notebook, in the order you're currently sorting it, each one headed with its name and date. They don't need Jots, or anything but a phone.
  4. Share Jots File — for another Jots. It carries everything (Jots, tags, backgrounds, forms, orientation) and can be imported as a real, editable notebook. A PDF can't come back; this can.
  5. Several at once: notebooks list → ••• → Select Notebooks, choose more than one, then export or back them up together.
  6. To receive a Jots file: notebooks list → ••• → Import Notebook…

One caution. Anything you share leaves the app as a plain, unencrypted file — the image, the PDF and the Jots file alike. Inside the app your notes sit behind Apple's device and iCloud protection, but that protection doesn't travel with the file. If a Jot holds an account number or a door code, think about where you're sending it and treat the file as you would any other unencrypted document. See the Privacy Policy.

Sync across your devices

  1. Sign in to iCloud with the same Apple Account on each device — that's the whole setup.
  2. Jots syncs through your private iCloud automatically; changes appear on your other devices moments later.
  3. Your notes stay in your iCloud — we never see them. See the Privacy Policy.

Settings, backup, and restore

  1. Notebooks list → ••• → Settings holds your default paper & ink, Auto-Lock, Back Up All Data, Restore, Storage, your Free/Pro status, Help & Guides, and Contact Support.
  2. Back Up All Data… exports one backup file — save it to Files, a drive, anywhere. Settings shows when your last backup ran and which build made it.
  3. Restore All Data… brings a backup back. Restoring replaces what's in the app, so it asks first.
  4. A backup is a plain, unencrypted file holding every Jot you have — so keep it somewhere you'd be comfortable keeping any unencrypted copy of your notes. If you want it encrypted, put it somewhere that does the encrypting for you.

Trash and recovery

  1. Deleted Jots go to the Trash notebook, not into thin air.
  2. Open Trash and touch and hold a Jot to Restore it — or Delete Permanently.
  3. Empty Trash clears it all; that one can't be undone.

Landscape Jots and Jot Size

  1. Each Jot has its own orientation. A new Jot adopts the way you're holding the device.
  2. To switch a Jot, tap the orientation button at the bottom right while writing.
  3. Turn your device to view a landscape Jot full size, like a photo.
  4. Jot Settings… also has Jot Size — change an existing Jot's shape (Tall, Letter, or A4) without starting over. Ink stays exactly where it is; if shrinking would hide ink, it warns you first. Doesn't apply to form or photo-background Jots.

Move Jots and use tags (Pro)

  1. Touch and hold a Jot → Move to Notebook… to refile it — it pre-selects the notebook you used last time. Select several Jots first to move them together.
  2. Tags add a second way to organize: touch and hold a Jot → Tags…. Each tag appears as a smart notebook that gathers its Jots from everywhere.
  3. Smart notebooks at the top of the list do their own gathering: Recently Modified collects your latest work, and Empty Jots rounds up blank strays ready for cleanup.

Paper & ink defaults (Pro)

  1. Paper and ink defaults work at three levels: Settings (applies everywhere), a notebook's Notebook Settings… (applies to that notebook), and a Jot's Jot Settings… (applies to that Jot). Each level falls back to the one above it when nothing more specific is set.
  2. Pick a paper template (lines, grid, dots, Notecard, Stationery, a writing-guide paper…), tint its color, or use a photo or PDF from your library.
  3. Backgrounds are per Jot — one Jot can be graph paper while the next is a form or stays blank.
  4. Found a paper or ink you like? Use Save Ink as Default or Save Paper as Notebook Default (and the matching global options) from Jot Settings to make it stick.

Lock Jots and Auto-Lock (Pro)

  1. Tap the padlock while writing to make a Jot read-only — no more stray marks from a pocket or a toddler. Tap again to unlock.
  2. Auto-Lock Jots (in Settings) locks each inked Jot automatically when you leave it — and unlocks it again when you return to it, so the Jot you're on is always ready to write. Locks you set yourself with the padlock stay locked until you unlock them.
  3. To lock or unlock several Jots at once, select them in the grid and use Lock.

Jots Pro — what it is, buying, restoring

  1. Jots is free with one notebook — unlimited Jots, every drawing tool, the Messages app, sync, backup, and Trash included. Creating a second notebook, forms, tags, backgrounds, cross-notebook search, and Jot locks are where Pro begins. See the full comparison.
  2. Jots Pro is a one-time purchase — no subscription — that unlocks unlimited notebooks, forms, tags & smart notebooks, custom paper, cross-notebook search, and read-only Jot locks — including Auto-Lock.
  3. Tap any Pro feature and the Jots Pro screen appears with the price; buying takes one tap through the App Store.

Frequently asked

Is my data private?

Yes. WellThot Jots collects no data: no sign-up, no ads, no tracking. Your notes stay on your device, and if you use iCloud they sync through your own iCloud account — never our servers. Jots works fine with iCloud turned off. See our Privacy Policy.

Does Jots work with Apple Pencil?

Yes — Jots is finger-first, so it never requires a Pencil, but on an iPad a Pencil works beautifully, and the Pencil ink style responds to its tilt.

Is handwriting recognition coming?

It's in progress but not in this build — it depends on iOS 27, which is itself still in beta.

— WellThot LLC