Full source tree of a ported Samsung Notes 4.4.09.6 build that installs and runs on non-Samsung Android devices, including current Android 16 and Android 17 releases. The UI and UX are 100% unchanged from the original Samsung Notes application — this project only adapts the parts that prevent the app from installing and running outside Samsung hardware.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This is an unofficial project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Samsung Electronics. "Samsung" and "Samsung Notes" are trademarks of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. See NOTICE.md for full third-party provenance and the LICENSE for the terms that govern this repository.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Application | Samsung Notes |
| Package name | com.samsung.android.app.notes |
| Version name | 4.4.09.6 |
| Version code | 440906000 |
| Minimum Android | 6.0 Marshmallow (API 23) |
| Target SDK | 33 (Android 13) — installs and runs fine on newer Android |
| Verified for | Android 16 (API 36) and Android 17 (API 37) sideload installs |
| Also compatible with | Android 6.0 – 15 (API 23 – 35) |
| Architectures | arm64-v8a (primary), armeabi-v7a, armeabi |
| UI / UX changes | None — identical to the original app |
Prebuilt, zipaligned, and signed release APKs are published under GitHub Releases.
Release APKs are built for Android 6.0 through Android 17 (API 23–37) and
support arm64-v8a and armeabi-v7a devices. Each release page lists the
SHA-256 checksum of the APK for verification.
- Download the latest APK from the Releases page.
- On your device, allow Install unknown apps for your browser/file manager (Settings → Apps → Special access → Install unknown apps).
- Open the APK and install.
- If the official Samsung Notes (from the Galaxy Store or a Samsung device) is already installed, uninstall it first — the release builds are signed with this project's own key and cannot update a differently-signed install.
This repository is a complete Apktool project. Everything needed to reproduce the release APK from source is here — no proprietary Samsung SDK or framework jars are required.
- JDK 11 or newer (OpenJDK tested with 21)
- Apktool 2.8.1+ (2.11.1 tested)
- uber-apk-signer 1.3.0
(or any
apksigner/jarsignersetup)
# 1. Recompile resources + smali into an APK
java -jar apktool.jar b . --use-aapt2
# 2. Zipalign + sign the built APK (dist/ directory)
java -jar uber-apk-signer.jar \
-a dist/com.samsung.android.app.notes_4.4.09.6-440906000.apk \
--ks <your-keystore> --ksAlias <alias> \
--ksPass <storepass> --ksKeyPass <keypass> \
--overwriteThe signed APK is written next to the unsigned one in dist/. A GitHub
Actions workflow (.github/workflows/release.yml) automates this exact
process and publishes the APK to Releases.
| Path | Contents |
|---|---|
AndroidManifest.xml |
Decoded application manifest (18 content providers, 28 services, 85 activities) |
apktool.yml |
Apktool metadata (SDK levels, version info, build flags) |
smali/ … smali_classes7/ |
Dalvik bytecode of the 7 DEX files (app + bundled S Pen SDK + Kotlin runtime) |
res/ |
All application resources (layouts, drawables, strings — the unchanged UI) |
lib/ |
Native libraries per ABI (arm64-v8a, armeabi-v7a, armeabi) |
assets/ |
Application assets (baseline profiles, widgets, tips data) |
original/, unknown/, META-INF/ |
Original APK metadata preserved by Apktool for faithful rebuilds |
kotlin/ |
Kotlin metadata resources |
.github/workflows/ |
Automated release build workflow |
Samsung Notes was written for Samsung hardware. On other devices some device-specific integrations degrade gracefully instead of breaking the app:
- S Pen SDK — the full SDK is bundled inside the app itself, so stylus and finger inking work on any touchscreen. No S Pen hardware is required; any capacitive stylus works.
- Knox / Samsung Knox services — referenced only on managed-device paths; inert on non-Samsung ROMs.
- Samsung system services (DeX desktop mode, flip-cover handling, Samsung fingerprint dialogs, Samsung clipboard manager) — the app falls back to the standard Android implementations on devices without them.
- Cloud sync — Samsung Cloud / Samsung account sync requires a Samsung account environment and will not be available; local notes work fully.
This repository's own project material (build scripts, workflow, documentation, porting guidance) is made available under the Invokeil-OAPQX Controlled Source License v1.0 — see LICENSE. It is a source-available license: the public repository may be viewed and forked on GitHub, and modifications or redistribution require prior written approval from the maintainers.
Third-party material is not re-licensed by this project and remains under its own terms — in particular the original Samsung Notes application (© Samsung Electronics, proprietary) and the upstream porting work by Yanndroid (MIT License). Full details in NOTICE.md.
- Yanndroid — Samsung-Notes-Port, the original port of Samsung Notes to non-Samsung devices (MIT License).
- Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. — original Samsung Notes application.
- iBotPeaches — Apktool.
- patrickfav — uber-apk-signer.