The app is slow and keeps restarting

Right after restoring a backup, or with a very large number of notes, the app can feel heavy and start from the first screen again whenever you come back from another app.

This happens when a lot is queued up to upload at once. It is not a fault.

Why it happens

iCloud sync only makes progress while the app is on screen. When you put the app away, iOS gives it a short while longer to work and then clears it out. That is why it looks like it starts over when you come back.

Right after a restore there can be tens of thousands of items waiting, and that short window barely makes a dent. While the queue stays long, the app feels heavy too.

What to do

1. 1Open Settings, tap the iCloud status line, and leave sync status open. While that screen is up the display will not turn off on its own, so syncing can keep going
2. 2Plug in the charger and connect to Wi-Fi
3. 3Turn Low Power Mode off

It does not have to finish in one go. Opening it now and then chips away at the queue.

What not to do

Don't force quit the app. Swiping it away sends the work in progress back to the start. Doing it repeatedly out of frustration means it never finishes.

Don't turn iCloud off. The records on that device go with it, and recent entries that had not finished uploading cannot be recovered. See What to avoid in iCloud settings.

Don't delete and reinstall the app. Everything already downloaded has to come down again.

Once it's done

When the queue clears, the app becomes responsive again and stays where you left it when you switch away. It is a one-time stretch after a restore.