Remove Private Notes from the frontend

[MelvinBot]

Explanation of Change

Removes the entire Private Notes feature from the frontend. This includes:

• UI entry points: "Private notes" menu items in ReportDetailsPage and ProfilePage
• Dedicated pages: PrivateNotesListPage, PrivateNotesEditPage, and the withReportAndPrivateNotesOrNotFound HOC
• Navigation plumbing: Routes, screen constants, modal stack navigators, linking config, and navigator type definitions
• Action functions: updatePrivateNotes, getReportPrivateNote, hasErrorInPrivateNotes, clearPrivateNotesError, savePrivateNotesDraft
• Navigation helpers: navigateToPrivateNotes, goBackFromPrivateNotes, goBackToDetailsPage
• Attachment carousel: Private notes attachment type handling (ATTACHMENT_TYPE.NOTE)
• Translations: privateNotes block removed from all 10 language files
• Types/forms/API params: PrivateNotesForm, UpdateReportPrivateNoteParams, GetReportPrivateNoteParams, Onyx keys for drafts/forms, isLoadingPrivateNotes from ReportMetadata

The privateNotes field on the Report type, whitelisted report keys, and debug utilities are intentionally preserved — the BE data model removal is planned as a separate follow-up.

Fixed Issues

$ #87952
PROPOSAL: #87952 (comment)

AI Tests

• npm run typecheck-tsgo: Passed (0 errors)
• npm run typecheck (tsc, CI gate): Passed (0 errors)
• npx ts-node ./scripts/generateTranslations.ts --dry-run: Passed
• npx prettier --write on all changed files: Passed
• npx eslint on key changed files: Passed (0 new errors; 2 pre-existing warnings in ReportDetailsPage.tsx unrelated to this change)

Human Tests

// TODO: The human co-author must fill out the tests you ran before marking this PR as "ready for review"
// Please describe what tests you performed that validates your changed worked.

Offline tests

// TODO: Fill in offline testing steps

QA Steps

// TODO: The human co-author must fill out the QA tests you ran before marking this PR as "ready for review".

• Verify that no errors appear in the JS console

PR Author Checklist

• I linked the correct issue in the ### Fixed Issues section above
• I wrote clear testing steps that cover the changes made in this PR
  • I added steps for local testing in the Tests section
  • I added steps for the expected offline behavior in the Offline steps section
  • I added steps for Staging and/or Production testing in the QA steps section
  • I added steps to cover failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
  • I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
  • I tested this PR with a High Traffic account against the staging or production API to ensure there are no regressions (e.g. long loading states that impact usability).
• I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
• I ran the tests on all platforms & verified they passed on:
  • Android: Native
  • Android: mWeb Chrome
  • iOS: Native
  • iOS: mWeb Safari
  • MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• I verified there are no console errors (if there's a console error not related to the PR, report it or open an issue for it to be fixed)
• I followed proper code patterns (see Reviewing the code)
  • I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick)
  • I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
  • I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
  • I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
  • I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
  • I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is either coming verbatim from figma or has been approved by marketing (in order to get marketing approval, ask the Bug Zero team member to add the Waiting for copy label to the issue)
  • I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
  • I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
• If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
• I followed the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
• I tested other components that can be impacted by my changes (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar are working as expected)
• I verified all code is DRY (the PR doesn't include any logic written more than once, with the exception of tests)
• I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.ts or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
• I verified that if a function's arguments changed that all usages have also been updated correctly

Screenshots/Videos

Android: Native

Android: mWeb Chrome

iOS: Native

iOS: mWeb Safari

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

[melvin-bot]

@suneox Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

[suneox]

Reviewer Checklist

• I have verified the author checklist is complete (all boxes are checked off).
• I verified the correct issue is linked in the ### Fixed Issues section above
• I verified testing steps are clear and they cover the changes made in this PR
  • I verified the steps for local testing are in the Tests section
  • I verified the steps for Staging and/or Production testing are in the QA steps section
  • I verified the steps cover any possible failure scenarios (i.e. verify an input displays the correct error message if the entered data is not correct)
  • I turned off my network connection and tested it while offline to ensure it matches the expected behavior (i.e. verify the default avatar icon is displayed if app is offline)
• I checked that screenshots or videos are included for tests on all platforms
• I included screenshots or videos for tests on all platforms
• I verified that the composer does not automatically focus or open the keyboard on mobile unless explicitly intended. This includes checking that returning the app from the background does not unexpectedly open the keyboard.
• I verified tests pass on all platforms & I tested again on:
  • Android: HybridApp
  • Android: mWeb Chrome
  • iOS: HybridApp
  • iOS: mWeb Safari
  • MacOS: Chrome / Safari
• If there are any errors in the console that are unrelated to this PR, I either fixed them (preferred) or linked to where I reported them in Slack
• I verified proper code patterns were followed (see Reviewing the code)
  • I verified that any callback methods that were added or modified are named for what the method does and never what callback they handle (i.e. toggleReport and not onIconClick).
  • I verified that comments were added to code that is not self explanatory
  • I verified that any new or modified comments were clear, correct English, and explained "why" the code was doing something instead of only explaining "what" the code was doing.
  • I verified any copy / text shown in the product is localized by adding it to src/languages/* files and using the translation method
  • I verified all numbers, amounts, dates and phone numbers shown in the product are using the localization methods
  • I verified any copy / text that was added to the app is grammatically correct in English. It adheres to proper capitalization guidelines (note: only the first word of header/labels should be capitalized), and is either coming verbatim from figma or has been approved by marketing (in order to get marketing approval, ask the Bug Zero team member to add the Waiting for copy label to the issue)
  • I verified proper file naming conventions were followed for any new files or renamed files. All non-platform specific files are named after what they export and are not named "index.js". All platform-specific files are named for the platform the code supports as outlined in the README.
  • I verified the JSDocs style guidelines (in STYLE.md) were followed
• If a new code pattern is added I verified it was agreed to be used by multiple Expensify engineers
• I verified that this PR follows the guidelines as stated in the Review Guidelines
• I verified other components that can be impacted by these changes have been tested, and I retested again (i.e. if the PR modifies a shared library or component like Avatar, I verified the components using Avatar have been tested & I retested again)
• I verified all code is DRY (the PR doesn't include any logic written more than once, with the exception of tests)
• I verified any variables that can be defined as constants (ie. in CONST.ts or at the top of the file that uses the constant) are defined as such
• If a new component is created I verified that:
  • A similar component doesn't exist in the codebase
  • All props are defined accurately and each prop has a /** comment above it */
  • The file is named correctly
  • The component has a clear name that is non-ambiguous and the purpose of the component can be inferred from the name alone
  • The only data being stored in the state is data necessary for rendering and nothing else
  • For Class Components, any internal methods passed to components event handlers are bound to this properly so there are no scoping issues (i.e. for onClick={this.submit} the method this.submit should be bound to this in the constructor)
  • Any internal methods bound to this are necessary to be bound (i.e. avoid this.submit = this.submit.bind(this); if this.submit is never passed to a component event handler like onClick)
  • All JSX used for rendering exists in the render method
  • The component has the minimum amount of code necessary for its purpose, and it is broken down into smaller components in order to separate concerns and functions
• If any new file was added I verified that:
  • The file has a description of what it does and/or why is needed at the top of the file if the code is not self explanatory
• If a new CSS style is added I verified that:
  • A similar style doesn't already exist
  • The style can't be created with an existing StyleUtils function (i.e. StyleUtils.getBackgroundAndBorderStyle(theme.componentBG)
• If the PR modifies code that runs when editing or sending messages, I tested and verified there is no unexpected behavior for all supported markdown - URLs, single line code, code blocks, quotes, headings, bold, strikethrough, and italic.
• If the PR modifies a generic component, I tested and verified that those changes do not break usages of that component in the rest of the App (i.e. if a shared library or component like Avatar is modified, I verified that Avatar is working as expected in all cases)
• If the PR modifies a component related to any of the existing Storybook stories, I tested and verified all stories for that component are still working as expected.
• If the PR modifies a component or page that can be accessed by a direct deeplink, I verified that the code functions as expected when the deeplink is used - from a logged in and logged out account.
• If the PR modifies the UI (e.g. new buttons, new UI components, changing the padding/spacing/sizing, moving components, etc) or modifies the form input styles:
  • I verified that all the inputs inside a form are aligned with each other.
  • I added Design label and/or tagged @Expensify/design so the design team can review the changes.
• If a new page is added, I verified it's using the ScrollView component to make it scrollable when more elements are added to the page.
• For any bug fix or new feature in this PR, I verified that sufficient unit tests are included to prevent regressions in this flow.
• If the main branch was merged into this PR after a review, I tested again and verified the outcome was still expected according to the Test steps.
• I have checked off every checkbox in the PR reviewer checklist, including those that don't apply to this PR.

Screenshots/Videos

Android: HybridApp

CleanShot.2026-04-16.at.23.09.23.5.mp4

Android: mWeb Chrome

CleanShot.2026-04-16.at.23.08.46.4.mp4

iOS: HybridApp

CleanShot.2026-04-16.at.23.05.50.3.mp4

iOS: mWeb Safari

CleanShot.2026-04-16.at.23.02.54.2.mp4

MacOS: Chrome / Safari

CleanShot.2026-04-16.at.22.58.12.1.mp4

[suneox]

The change set LGTM. I didn't find any remaining private notes. @MelvinBot merge latest main & resolve conflict

[MelvinBot]

The original branch had no common ancestor with main (unrelated histories), so a normal git merge wasn't possible — every file in the repo appeared as a conflict.

To fix this, I recreated the branch from latest main and re-applied all the Private Notes removal changes. Typecheck passes cleanly (0 errors).

Note: This required a force push since the branch history was rebuilt. The code changes are identical to the original commit.

[melvin-bot]

@cristipaval Please copy/paste the Reviewer Checklist from here into a new comment on this PR and complete it. If you have the K2 extension, you can simply click: [this button]

[MelvinBot]

Fixed the failing ESLint check: removed 4 unused imports/variables — hideKeyboardOnSwipe in RightModalNavigator.tsx, isEmpty and isAnonymousUser in Report/index.ts, and accountID in ReportAddAttachmentModalContent/index.tsx.

[cristipaval]

@JmillsExpensify, just to double-check. Do we want to completely remove the code from the front-end, or do we just want to hide the feature?

[trjExpensify]

Assigning @JmillsExpensify for the product review.

[JmillsExpensify]

Good question. The first step is hiding the feature and making sure we haven't overlooked anything. We'll then remove the code.

[suneox]

Good question. The first step is hiding the feature and making sure we haven't overlooked anything. We'll then remove the code.

That means we can extend a new BETAS flag for private notes, with the default value set to false, to hide the trigger entry point instead of hard-removing it. Should it still be included under BETAS.ALL, or should it always be forced to false? @cristipaval What do you think about this?

[cristipaval]

Let's add a beta always hardcoded to false, @suneox. Otherwise, Applause might keep QA'ing it, which might be a waste of their time. We'll enable the beta and QA it if we ever reconsider bringing the feature back.

[JmillsExpensify]

Makes sense, thanks both.

[suneox]

@MelvinBot Post a new solution on issue #87952 based on the comments above. I’ll re-verify it before implementation.

[suneox]

@MelvinBot the solution look good, let implement it

[MelvinBot]

🤖 New draft PR created with the revised beta-flag approach: #88204

This replaces the full removal approach in this PR with a minimal change that gates Private Notes behind isBetaEnabled(CONST.BETAS.PRIVATE_NOTES). Only 3 files changed (CONST, ReportDetailsPage, ProfilePage).

Note: The backend should also add privateNotes to the explicitOnly beta configuration so BETAS.ALL doesn't enable it for internal/Applause users.

[MelvinBot]

⏱️ Ran out of time before I could finish. This usually means the task was too complex or I got stuck exploring. Please try again with a more specific request or post in #melvinbot-ai.

Run details

[cristipaval]

Closing this one in favor of #88204