Digital Planner Support

Welcome to Digital Planner 101!

On this page you will learn the basics of using our planners. Everything from downloading, importing, syncing, to adding digital stickers(free PDF download) and copying templates. We are constantly adding information and videos to this page, but if you still need more help or don't see a similar question in the FAQ sections below, please feel free to contact us!
READ ABOUT 2021 XODO APP UPDATES HERE

Getting Started with Your New Digital Planner

1. Downloading and Importing and Enabling Syncing (Xodo on Samsung)

Downloading and importing your planner to be used in Xodo may vary for devices. These steps are for Samsung. WE HAVE A VIDEO OF THESE STEPS!

  1. Make sure that you've installed the FREE Xodo app on your device. (IMPORTANT: Don't upgrade to the Pro Version!!)
  2. Create and setup a Cloud account (such as Google Drive, One Drive or Dropbox) for storing/accessing the planner file. You will then have access to the planner on ALL of your devices and they will sync to one another if using the same cloud/backup account. If you only have one device, you can watch the Android video below for importing into Xodo.
  3. After purchasing the planner, you will receive a download link in your email inbox. Go to email and click the download link.
  4. In the web browser, click 'DOWNLOAD NOW'
  5. Go to your device's download folder (My Files on Samsung) to either move or copy the downloaded planner file to your desired cloud account. (for example, on Samsung Tablet, you can move the planner pdf to your Google Drive.)
  6. To move your downloaded file to Google Drive (or OneDrive): select the planner pdf from the downloads folder list by pressing and HOLDING the filename until yellow circle shows it is selected, select 'MOVE' from bottom list options, then select Google Drive from menu list, then tap 'Move here' at bottom right
  7. To copy your downloaded file to Dropbox: select the planner pdf from the downloads folder list by pressing and HOLDING the filename until yellow circle shows it is selected, select 'SHARE' from bottom list options, then select 'Add to Dropbox'
  8. *IMPORTANT* after the file has been copied to your Dropbox account, you can then delete it from  your device's download folder. You want to make sure and open the file from Dropbox so that it syncs.
  9. *IMPORTANT* open Xodo and open your planner file from the Cloud account/drive that you have chosen to store it (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive). Xodo has those listed in the menu accessed from top left 'hamburger' icon.
  10. Xodo will use the planner file from the cloud account on any device that you have the same cloud account in use and they will be synced!
IMPORTANT NOTE:
After any Xodo App updates, the digital planner file will need to be opened through your original backup location, such as Google Drive or Dropbox, and NOT "Recent" files. With the new Xodo App version, it won't recognize the file from 'Recent' as an editable PDF. It appears that after the App update AND you've opened through the backup location, it will now be fine to open through the 'Recent' files again.

Watch a VIDEO for Importing into Xodo for Android Users:



1. Downloading and Importing (GoodNotes on iPad)

*Syncing video for iPad is in General Usage questions below.

Downloading and importing your planner into GoodNotes 5 is different depending on the OS that is currently installed on your device. To determine which version of OS is installed, go to the Settings app > General > About > Software Version. The software version will appear as a number–for example, iOS 13.3 will appear simply as "13.3." After you have determined the version of OS your device has installed, continue with the respective instructions below.

iOS 12 and Lower

iOS 13 and Above

Getting Started with GoodNotes 5

GoodNotes is a note-taking app that lets you write, draw, doodle, color, highlight, and more…

You can add all sorts of information to each planner page and create rich, multimedia notes: Handwriting, typed text, images, sketches, photos, screenshots, and more. At the same time, using the app is as simple and straightforward as writing on paper. Just pick up a stylus and start writing.

Basic Features

Taking notes and writing in your digital planner is super simple. Just like writing with a pen on paper. When you open your digital planner in GoodNotes 5, you’ll see two bars at the top of the screen.

The upper one in dark color is the nav bar. The navbar, as indicated by its name, lets you perform navigation actions or actions that affect the document as a whole. You also notice the Read-Only Mode is now located at the nav bar.

The lower one is the toolbar. You can select the tools or colors by tapping on the icon once. The selected tool will be represented in color, whereas inactive tools are colorless. Tapping on the icon of a selected tool a second time will reveal additional options or tool-settings.

Tools Overview

Here are all the tools in the toolbar listed as they appear from left to right in the image above.

Zoom Window Tool:

Magnify a part of the page to write neatly and precisely.

Pen Tool:

Write on the page with your finger or a stylus. Other pen styles can be selected in the pen options.

- Fountain pen: Pressure-sensitive pen style

- Ball pen: no pressure sensitivity

- Brush pen: create artistic ink and notes with this highly pressure-sensitive pen style (works best with a high thickness)

Eraser Tool:

Erase ink strokes or highlighting on the page.

Highlighter:

Highlight notes or texts.

Shape Tool:

Draw perfect geometric shapes or straight lines.

Lasso Tool:

Select objects on the page to reorder, resize, or edit them further.

Image Tool:

Insert images from your photo library and edit them.

Camera Tool:

Take photos with your iPad camera to add them to the page or create a whole page from a photo.

Text Tool:

Create a text box by tapping anywhere on the page to type with your keyboard.

Contextual area:

On the right side of the toolbar, you’ll see the “Contextual Area”. Each tool has its own quick actions that appear in this area. The pen, the highlighter, and the shapes tool show a set of shortcuts for adapting the color and thickness. You can select more colors or change the thickness of the strokes by tapping on these icons again. Other tools, like the Image tool, have different quick actions in the contextual area.

 

FAQs

Section 1: Device, Stylus and App Recommendations

Your digital planner will work with any PDF annotation app, but it may work differently than intended depending on the app. We suggest doing some research about what app is right for you. But our planners were designed specifically for an iPad with an Apple Pencil. Therefore this is the setup that we recommend for using our digital planners.

We recommend using the GoodNotes 5 app. GoodNotes 5 is an amazing app that not only allows you to write on and navigate our planners, but it also allows you to create custom pen colors, sync your planner between iPad and iPhone, and add images to your planner! GoodNotes 5 is by far the best app for digital planners.

The short answer is yes, you can use our planners on your iPhone. The drawback is, of course, the screen size. Zooming in is always an option, but it is preferable to plan on a larger screen. You will also want to use either an active or passive stylus to make it easier to write out your plans. I recommend using an active stylus to aid in palm rejection while writing on the iPhone.

Yes you can! Our digital planners are in PDF format. Which means that all you need is a PDF annotation app!

We recommend using the FREE Xodo PDF Reader & Editer app from the Google Play Store. Unfortunately there are not a lot of options for PDF annotation apps for Android devices, but Xodo is definitely the best. Do not upgrade to the Pro Version. GoodNotes does plan on offering the App cross platform for Android and MS Tablet devices, but have not announced an eta at this time.

Our digital planner will work on most pdf annotation apps. However, we highly recommend GoodNotes 5 as it is feature packed with the best digital planning tools and our planner works perfectly with it. Also, we only provide support or instructions for use on iPad with GoodNotes or Samsung with Xodo.

Section 2: General Usage

No, the planner will not import/export or sync with other calendars. Whilst digital planners may look and act somewhat like an app, they’re at their core just hyperlinked PDF documents.

You can navigate to specific tabbed pages with a tap, and/or swipe to flip through the planner pages. Just remember for the hyperlinked tabs to work, you have to be in Read-Only Mode. You can watch our overview video below to see how to navigate our planners.

It does not have built in notification or reminder functionality. (We recommend using it in conjunction with Siri and the Reminders App on your iPad)

You can write, draw, doodle, color, type, scale, highlight, undo, redo, erase, insert, copy, paste and more. (Designed for use with a stylus)

With GoodNotes 5 you can sync your digital planner to any iOS device (iOS 12+ required) using the same Apple ID or with a shared Family iCloud account.