Use Android Studio with JDK 25 selected as the Gradle JVM. The project now uses Gradle 9.3.1 and Android Gradle Plugin 9.1.1, so the old Java 25 incompatibility is resolved. Sync the project after opening it.
Install Android SDK Platform 37 and Build Tools 36.0.0 through SDK Manager if prompted. The app targets API 36 and supports Android 6.0 (API 23) and newer; the minimum increased from API 21 for the updated billing library.
For a command-line build on macOS using Android Studio's bundled JDK:
export JAVA_HOME="/Applications/Android Studio.app/Contents/jbr/Contents/Home"
./gradlew :app:assembleDebug :app:testDebugUnitTest :app:lintDebug :app:assembleReleaseVerified on 21 September 2026: debug and unsigned release builds pass, 39 tests pass, and lint has zero errors (314 legacy warnings remain).
The debug APK is generated at app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk. Release builds are unsigned. Google Drive sign-in needs OAuth configuration for this package and your signing certificate; Play purchases need a Play test account and configured products. Ordinary local note-taking does not require those services.
Export/import now uses the Android file picker. New backups are versioned JSON. To recover an old local backup, select its FeedReader.db; notes and their category names/colors are merged without replacing the live database. The independent category descriptions in CategoriesHelper.db are not recovered through this path. Existing Drive backup formats remain readable.
See the project audit for the original code rating, repaired bugs, test coverage, and remaining limitations.
Scrittor was made with the intention of keeping the process of note taking simple yet appealing to the eye. I wish to continue the same approach throughout its journey.
I started this project when I was in my last year of college (2016-17). I used to use Google keep back then, however, wanted my own simple note taking application and hence Scrittor was born.
When I got my first job, my priority shifted quickly from Android development to web development. I however remember fixing all the known bugs at that time and the app was fairly stable. However, in the next 1-2 years, Google updated a ton of its libraries and I could not find the time to update the same. However, during the lockdown phase I did try to work on Scrittor, however, my PC died (its still dead) and I being 1 in 3445433 developers did not upload the code to Github.
I finally was able to somehow locate the files and with the help of my friend, Junaid, updated the app. I realised a lot of people faced issues and I would not want that to happen again and hence I am open sourcing the app so that we can take it further together.
It uses Android SDK and Google Drive for backup.
- Fork this repository.
- Clone the your new repository to your system.
- Create a new branch
- Add your changes.
- Commit changes and push the new branch.
- Open and submit a PR.
Please reach out to me via my email "shahid.sk27595@gmail.com"
Redistributing this app as your own is NOT permitted.