Just got this email from Evernote. I am using Sonoma 10.14 and as far as I know, Apple is still supporting it! Is Sequoia even out??? I won’t be downloading for quite a while.
Jane
Update your device’s operating system to continue using Evernote seamlessly
As of September 16, 2024, Evernote will no longer support macOS versions below 10.15. Our records indicate that you’re currently using a device with a macOS version below 10.15, meaning that you will be affected by this change.
In order to continue receiving Evernote updates, you must install macOS 10.15 or higher before September 16, 2024. You can do so using this helpful guide.
You can read more about how this change will affect you in this article:
macOS versions below 10.15 have not been supported by Apple for more than 3 years, which means they no longer receive security updates or technical support. Computers running these operating systems are vulnerable to new malware and other exploits that won’t be patched, leading to poor device performance and crashes.
A better Evernote experience.
Supporting an outdated operating systems creates technical debt and limitations within Evernote. By no longer supporting legacy operating systems, we can implement several backend changes that will unlock key improvements to the overall Evernote experience.
We understand that upgrading your macOS requires some effort. Our team is here to support you through this transition. If you acquire assistance, please submit a support request under the category “Report a technical issue > I need help updating my macOS version”.
Sonoma is MacOS 14 (no ‘10.’ in front), so you’re years ahead of the minimum requirement of MacOS 10.15. For reference, the version sequence for what started as Mac OS X and is now called MacOS is:
I’m calling BS on Evernote. It sounds more like “we can’t be bothered to maintain compatibility”. And this means I will have to dump it in favor of something else, after being an Evernote user for 12 years: suggestions are welcome.
I was about to disagree, but then I looked at the XCode system requirements and found that the latest developer tools can target macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) and later.
I can think of two reasonable explanations for such a decision.
The new versions are using (or will begin using) some API that doesn’t exist in 10.15. But there’s probably no way to know if this is the case or not.
They’ve determined that there aren’t enough users running 10.15 to justify continued support. If this is the case, then new versions might actually work, but they don’t want to distribute something that they’re not willing to support.
This may sound like a cop-out, but every supported platform comes with a real cost. Support staff needs to be able to run the app on old platforms. Developers need to be able to test, debug and fix problems on the platform. New releases need to be tested on it (automation can minimize, but not eliminate this cost). And the company needs to maintain systems running the old OS in order to support the development and testing work.
I abandoned Evernote a good while ago, I didn’t like how it handled embedded files and note export. So not that sure I qualify as a current Evernote user. If Notes doesn’t do it for you there’s a ton of others. Worth downloading trials and testing, especially Evernote import. I use Agenda for current work notes and DevonTHINK for large projects, archives etc.
I was put off by the scare tactic. I still get regular Xprotect updates, so that part of their message is not credible.
I also dislike some of what they have added in recent versions of Evernote, so I should probably cut the cord. I guess it’s time to do some research. I use Notes for some things but I don’t like it much.
Apple’s Notes app for me. I was an Evernote user for many years, mostly work-related stuff. But when I retired, I imported all the non-work stuff into Notes, and haven’t looked back.
Other options would include Microsoft’s OneNote, especially if you already have an Office subscription/installation (it’s included).
I like Microsoft OneNote and often use it in a work context, but I’ve avoided it for personal use because it has a weak export capability, at least on the Mac. To be fair, its export capabilities are stronger on Windows systems.
I still use Evernote for personal data, but I am also still looking for alternatives. I haven’t found anything that I am completely happy with yet. My key requirements are ease of importing/exporting data and cross-platform capabilities, i.e., Windows/Linux.
Regarding apps dropping support for macOS 10.15 (Catalina), I’ve already noticed many developers moving to Apple’s “n-2” model, i.e., the current major version of macOS and the previous two major versions. Quite a few apps have dropped Big Sur (10.16) already, never mind Catalina.
I’ve mentioned it in other threads, but I think the biggest general issue for many Catalina users is that September’s Chromium 129 release will drop support for Catalina. Browsers which are built on top of Chromium (Google Chrome, Brave, and Opera) will follow shortly thereafter. It’s harder to figure out exactly when that will happen for each browser than it should be, but anyone routinely using those browsers on Catalina should make plans to upgrade their operating systems or to migrate to Firefox as soon as it is practical. Once the Chromium browsers drop Catalina, Firefox will be the only major browser that will receive security updates on Catalina.
I spent ages looking for an alternative too when my one year sub ran out. I was on free but about 18 months ago they reduced the features for the free version so it was almost useless. When that sub ran out The new sub price seemed to have increased AGAIN. I continued with the free version and tried alternatives. I think the closest I got for my purposes - a fully featured web clipper - was Microsoft OneNote; and it’s free! Not liking Microsoft much I tried Joplin which is free and open source. In theory it should do everything I need except there is no web clipper for Safari… Also after importing all my notes from Evernote it struggles to sync properly. After tearing my hair out for some time Evernote once again offered a 40% reduction to resubscribe so I gave in. I’d still like to have an open source option. I’m hoping Proton - the free Passwords, email and VPN is great - will offer something soon.
I decided to quit Evernote from 2020 when v10 was out full of mess, but needed to explore different options like Notion, Bear, Craft, and even iA Writer till 2022. These two years I have been using Apple Notes. Even though I sometimes tried Bear and Evernote and even UpNote to see what has changed, I kept going back to Apple Notes. I really like the comfortable readability on Bear and recent collapsable sections and table of contents on Evernote, however their other bugs or cons have made me back to Apple Notes.
From Evernote to Apple Notes, there are actually some features lacking like highlight, webclip, backlinks etc but I can still be able to focus on note taking and organise information and tasks as I like.
I even write articles on Apple Notes too! If I really need another app, I may use iA Writer because I have already purchased ten years ago.
I’ve started using ProNotes which adds several useful features to Notes on the Mac, including backlinks. Really nice little app, it also makes it quick to apply various formatting options and provides a ‘copy as Markdown’ feature too. You might want to check it out.
My use case is mostly iPad rather than Mac so I won’t consider.
But as my Mac computer is now MacBook Air 2018 which will not have macOS 15 so I just hope the use of new features on iOS 18 (like highlighting) will not affect the performance on Mac.
I was a diehard evernote user (5400+ notes) and didn’t like the direction everything was going (look and feel of the app, pricing, etc.) so I transitioned over to Apple Notes. Overall, I’m happy.
The only things I miss are the Shortcuts section, some of the formatting options and web clipper.
In order to continue receiving Evernote updates, you must install macOS 10.15 or higher before September 16, 2024. You can do so using this helpful guide.
Overall security.
A better Evernote experience.