Why Captio Was Discontinued
and Its Best Successor — 2026 Update

Captio was an iOS app launched around 2011, laser-focused on a single concept: instantly sending whatever you typed to your own email address. Open the app, type your thought, tap send -- done. No folders, no categories, no tags. Its uncompromising simplicity was its greatest feature.

Captio was especially beloved by GTD (Getting Things Done) practitioners and busy professionals. The workflow of "capture an idea and send it to your inbox in 2 seconds" was featured in countless productivity blogs and podcasts, sometimes called "the perfect memo app."

The UI was stripped to the absolute minimum -- launch the app and the cursor immediately focused on the text field. Enter a subject, write the body, and hit send. No extra features, no distractions. True to its name ("Captio" means "capture"), it was solely dedicated to catching thoughts and delivering them to email.

App Store Removal (October 2024): Captio was completely removed from the Apple App Store in October 2024. New downloads became impossible, and even existing users could no longer re-download the app. Reports emerged that the installed app stopped functioning properly after iOS updates.

Developer Stopped Updating: Captio's last update dated back several years. iOS undergoes major annual updates with new APIs and security requirements, but Captio failed to keep pace. Apps left unmaintained for extended periods eventually fail to meet Apple's App Store review guidelines and become subject to removal.

iOS Compatibility Issues: Starting with iOS 16, apps relying on deprecated APIs increasingly experienced malfunctions. Captio is believed to have faced compatibility issues with its email sending functionality and background processing on newer iOS versions. Users reported problems like "the send button does nothing" and "the app crashes immediately after launch."

The Developer's Shutdown Notice: The developer (Tupil / Ben Lenarts) published an end-of-life notice on captio.co, announcing the cloud service would end on October 1, 2024. Even so, awareness of the App Store removal was limited, and many users only noticed when the app stopped working.

Instant Launch-to-Email Workflow: Captio's essence was the ultra-fast workflow of "open the app the moment an idea strikes, send it to email in seconds." No other memo or email app could replicate this speed. Ideas are freshest the moment they appear, and Captio was the perfect tool for capturing them before they fade.

Ultimate Simplicity: No folders, no categories, no tags, no search. Captio had exactly two functions: write a memo and send it. This radical simplicity reduced decision-making cost to zero. No "which folder should I use?" or "what tag should I apply?" -- just write and send. This minimal cognitive load was Captio's greatest value.

Reliable Offline Queue: Captio could queue memos even without connectivity and auto-send them when back online. You could confidently take notes during subway commutes or on flights without worrying about forgetting to send them later.

Simple Memo was developed with a clear mission: recreate the Captio experience using modern technology. It faithfully inherits Captio's core concept of "one-tap memo to email" while adding improvements that Captio never had.

Same Philosophy: Like Captio, Simple Memo focuses solely on "write and send." The cursor focuses on the text field immediately upon launch, and you just write your memo and tap send. No folders, no tags. Captio users will feel right at home from the first moment.

Modern Improvements: Simple Memo adds three capabilities Captio lacked: (1) AES-GCM encryption -- on-device queue data is encrypted for protection. (2) Outbox architecture -- write and queue memos even offline, with automatic sending when connectivity returns. This strengthens Captio's original offline feature. (3) Zero server retention -- memos pass through Cloudflare Workers without being stored on any server.

~1-second Launch: Simple Memo focuses the cursor in 0.4 seconds from app launch, comparable to Captio. The "start writing the moment an idea strikes" experience is fully preserved.

Origin Story: Simple Memo's developer, AI ATAKA, was a long-time Captio user. When Captio was discontinued, the realization that "no other app provides the same experience" became the motivation to build Simple Memo. Read more on the About page.

What's the Same: The "write and send" concept, one-tap sending, instant launch, minimal UI, and offline queue. Every core Captio experience has been carried forward into Simple Memo.

What's Improved: One-tap send flow, on-device encryption (none to AES-GCM), zero server data retention, and enhanced offline support via Outbox architecture. (Launch speed is 0.4 seconds, comparable to Captio.)

What's Different: Pricing model changed from one-time purchase to subscription ($2.99/month or $29.99/year). However, the free tier allows 3 sends per day, free forever. Prices may vary by region; see the App Store purchase screen.

Switching from Captio to Simple Memo is straightforward. Since all your Captio memos were sent to your email inbox, there's no data migration needed.

Step 1: Download from the App Store
Download Simple Memo - for Obsidian from the App Store. It's free to install, and the free plan lets you send 3 memos a day, free forever.

Step 2: Set Up Your Email
Configure your recipient email address. Use the same email you used with Captio, and your memos will arrive in the same inbox. See our setup guides for detailed instructions.

Step 3: Write and Send as Usual
Just like Captio -- open the app, write your memo, tap send. The ~1-second launch feels just like Captio, so the transition should feel seamless.

Workflow Adjustment Tips:

• Place Simple Memo in the same home screen position as Captio to leverage your muscle memory
• Use widgets to start a memo from the lock screen for quick capture
• Don't worry about connectivity -- memos auto-queue offline and send when you're back online

Here's a detailed feature-by-feature mapping showing how every Captio capability translates to Simple Memo. This table answers the question every Captio user has: "Does Simple Memo have that feature?"

This 5-step guide walks you through the complete migration from Captio to Simple Memo. It takes about 3 minutes total. Since all your Captio memos were sent as emails, there's zero data migration needed.

Download Simple Memo - for Obsidian

Search for "Simple Memo - for Obsidian" on the App Store and download it. The app is free to install, and the free plan lets you send 3 memos a day, free forever.

Download: View on App Store

Tip: Before downloading, note where Captio was on your home screen so you can place Simple Memo in the same spot.

Set Up Your Email Address

On first launch, you'll be prompted to enter your recipient email address. Use the same email you used with Captio so your Simple Memo notes arrive in the same inbox alongside your old Captio memos.

You can change the address later. Gmail, company email, iCloud Mail -- any email service works. See our setup guides for detailed instructions.

Send a Test Memo

Once your email is configured, send a test memo. Open the app, type "test", and tap send. You should receive the email within seconds.

At this point, you've confirmed the "open, write, send" workflow works just like Captio. The one-tap send will feel noticeably faster.

Note: If the email doesn't arrive, check your spam folder. First-time sends may be filtered by some email services.

Recreate Your Captio Workflow

Optimize Simple Memo to match your Captio habits:

• Home screen placement: Put Simple Memo in the same position Captio occupied. Your muscle memory will do the rest.
• Widgets: Add a lock screen or home screen widget for quick access. Go to Settings and Widgets to add.
• Notifications: If you don't need send confirmations, you can disable Simple Memo notifications in iOS Settings.

For detailed speed comparisons with other memo apps, see our Fastest Memo App Benchmark article.

Verify Offline Functionality

If you relied on Captio's offline queue, verify that Simple Memo's Outbox architecture works properly:

• Turn on Airplane Mode
• Open Simple Memo, write a memo, and tap send
• Confirm the memo is saved to the queue as "pending"
• Turn off Airplane Mode
• Verify the memo auto-sends within seconds

Unlike Captio's basic offline queue, Simple Memo's Outbox architecture includes auto-retry for unreliable connections. For more iPhone memo tips, see iPhone Memo App Speed Guide.

As a former Captio user, here's an honest assessment of what's the same, what's better, and what's different about Simple Memo.

The "Open, Write, Send" experience is identical: The moment you first use Simple Memo, you'll think "this is Captio." The cursor focuses on the text field immediately, you type, you hit send. No menus, no sidebars, no folders. Captio's signature "don't interrupt the thought" design philosophy is fully preserved.

Zero-decision simplicity: No "which folder?" or "what tag?" decisions needed. Like Captio, Simple Memo delivers "zero cognitive load memo capture." It remains the ideal "empty your mind instantly" tool for GTD practitioners.

Email-based data management: Just like Captio, all memos are sent as emails. No proprietary cloud service dependency. Your memos permanently reside in your email account. "Data survives even if the app dies" -- Captio's best design choice, carried forward.

Encryption adds peace of mind: Simple Memo implements AES-GCM encryption, which Captio never had. Offline-queued memos are encrypted, so even if your device is lost, pending memos can't be read by third parties. This is especially valuable for business users handling sensitive notes.

Evolved offline queue: Captio's offline feature was basic -- write offline, send when connected. Simple Memo's Outbox architecture adds auto-retry for unstable connections and visual queue status. No more wondering "did it send or not?"

Modern UI design: Captio's interface was rooted in the iOS 6 era (2012). Simple Memo follows the latest iOS design guidelines with dark mode support. Same minimalist philosophy, but a much more polished visual experience.

Transparent zero-retention: Whether Captio retained data on servers was unclear. Simple Memo explicitly uses a zero-retention architecture via Cloudflare Workers. For privacy-conscious users, this transparency matters.

Pricing model: Captio was a one-time purchase of a few dollars. Simple Memo uses a subscription model -- free tier (3 sends/day) or premium ($2.99/month, unlimited). The ongoing cost is a fair trade-off for sustained development and server infrastructure (email sending requires real infrastructure costs).

Brand familiarity: After years of using "Captio," switching to "Simple Memo - for Obsidian" may feel unfamiliar. That's understandable. But the "launch, write, send" experience itself hasn't changed.

No attachments: Like Captio, Simple Memo doesn't support file attachments. If you need to send images with memos, you'll need to use a regular email app. Simple Memo intentionally focuses on text-only capture by design.