iPhone 13 Pro Notepad search fails to find file

What you are referring to is not clear from your post.

Notepad and Notes are not necessarily the same app on iOS. The distinction depends on which app you are referring to.

1. Apple Notes

Apple Notes is Apple's built-in note-taking app on the iPhone and iPad.

• App name: Notes
• Developer: Apple
• Purpose: Create, edit, organise, and search notes.
• Features: Text formatting, checklists, tables, document scanning, attachments, handwriting, and collaboration.
• Syncing: Notes can sync through iCloud or be stored under other configured accounts, such as Gmail or Exchange.

2. Notepad

Notepad is a generic name used by various third-party developers for note-taking apps available on the App Store.

• App name: Notepad (the exact name depends on the app).
• Developer: Depends on the particular app.
• Purpose: Usually to create and edit text notes.
• Features: These vary by app. Some offer basic text editing, while others provide additional functionality.
• Syncing: Depends on the app and its supported accounts or cloud services.

Unlike Apple Notes, there is no single universal iOS app called Notepad.

If in the iOS Notes app you are unable to search for content within your notes.

Your description does not provide enough information to determine the cause of the problem. There are a couple of important details you should have mentioned.

1. Which Notes app are you referring to?

Are you using Apple's built-in Notes app on your iPhone, or are you referring to a third-party note-taking app? The troubleshooting steps may differ depending on the app you are using.

2. Where are your notes stored?

You have not mentioned which account holds your notes. For example, are they stored in:

• • iCloud
  • On My iPhone
  • Gmail
  • Outlook
  • Another account or service

This distinction is important because the location of your notes and the account responsible for syncing them can affect how searches work. We need to establish where the notes are stored before drawing any conclusions about the cause of the problem.

My experience with searching Notes on iOS 27.0.1

I have tested searches in notes stored in both my iCloud and Gmail accounts, and the search results were successful, as you can see in the picture below. Therefore, I cannot conclude that iOS 27 has a general problem with searching within the Notes app based solely on your experience.

One more point to consider: if you are searching within locked notes in Apple's Notes app, the results may differ depending on the search terms and the content being searched. Locked notes have certain restrictions on searching their contents, so this is another factor worth checking.

My suggestion: When reporting an issue, please provide as much relevant information as possible, including the app you are using, the account in which your notes are stored, the exact steps you follow to perform a search, and what happens when the search fails. If possible, include a screenshot of the issue.

The more specific your description, the easier it is for others to reproduce the problem, investigate its cause, and suggest an appropriate solution. Otherwise, we risk attributing the issue to iOS 27 without sufficient evidence that the operating system is actually responsible.

I also have a similar problem. iPhone 13, iOS 26.6.2. When I open the Apple Notes and search for a note that I know is in it, all I see is the spinning thing.

I also cannot search from iPhone Home Screen for an installed app. Nothing comes

up but a few last opened apps.

126gb of 256gb is used in storage. I’m wondering if this might be an indexing problem.

Where were the Notes? The pic below is self-explanatory.