Short answer. The fastest way to get iPhone notes into Obsidian is a capture app that appends to your vault on send. That write is a local, on-device step — so it works the same whether you send mail through Gmail, Outlook, or iCloud — needs no plugin, and saves even offline. There's a different "email into Obsidian" approach (forward an email → it becomes a note), but for most people the local-append path is simpler, faster, and more private.

"Email to Obsidian" means two different things

Separate the intent first or you'll take the long way around:

  • (A) Capture a thought on iPhone and collect it in your Obsidian vault. This is what most people want — capture fast on the phone, organize in Obsidian. The local-append approach below is best.
  • (B) Ingest received emails into Obsidian (forward a message → it turns into a note). That's a different job needing a third-party email-ingestion service or automation, and it tends to lose to local-append on speed, simplicity, and privacy.

This guide focuses on (A) and is honest about how (B) differs.

The fastest path: one-tap append to your vault

Simple Memo - for Obsidian sends a memo to your own email in one tap and, at the same time, automatically appends it to a note in your Obsidian vault. The whole setup:

  1. Install the app and set your destination email address (any provider works).
  2. In the Obsidian settings, pick an Inbox note or a daily note (point it at your vault folder in iCloud Drive).
  3. Write a memo and send. It lands in your inbox, and the same text lands in Obsidian.

Each memo is appended as a timestamped list line, one per send, without touching existing content:

- 09:14 Meeting takeaway: quote due Friday
- 09:31 Shopping: milk, batteries
- 12:05 Idea: cut onboarding to 3 screens

No plugin is required, and it appends in the background without opening the app. It saves to the local file even offline; iCloud sync propagates to other devices when you reconnect.

Does my email provider matter? (Gmail / Outlook / iCloud)

No. The Obsidian append is a local on-device step that's independent of email delivery, so it behaves the same whether your destination is Gmail, Outlook, or iCloud. The memo arrives in your normal inbox and in your Obsidian vault — redundancy is the point.

If you searched "obsidian gmail", "outlook obsidian", or "obsidian icloud", this is usually the answer you want: you don't change any provider-side setting for Obsidian's sake.

Inbox note vs daily note (capture first, organize later)

Point everything at one fixed Inbox note and every memo stacks there in chronological order. Triage, link, and tag later inside Obsidian. That's exactly the Second Brain / Inbox Zero "capture first" model. Prefer per-day files? Switch to a daily note.

The DIY route: Apple Shortcuts

You can also append to a file with Apple Shortcuts (an "Append to File" action writing to a .md in your vault via the Files app). It's flexible, but setup is fiddly and you have to build reliable offline retry and timestamp formatting yourself. Rule of thumb: use a dedicated app if you want it fast and reliable; use Shortcuts if you enjoy wiring it yourself.

From Apple Watch

When you send a memo from Apple Watch, your iPhone performs the Obsidian append, so the same note shows up in your vault (the iPhone does the writing). Capture on the wrist, consolidate in Obsidian. See the Apple Watch page for details.

FAQ

I just want "send to obsidian" — do I have to email too?
The app does both: it emails the memo and appends it to Obsidian. The email is a redundant, always-there backup. If you only care about Obsidian, just let the mail pile up in an inbox you don't watch — no harm done.

Do I need an Obsidian plugin?
No. It works with Obsidian's standard features; the app writes directly to your vault folder.

Does it still save to Obsidian offline?
Yes. The folder-direct write is local, so it works with no connection; sync to other devices happens when you reconnect.

Can I use it on Android or desktop?
The capture app is iPhone-only (iOS 16+). Keep your vault on iCloud Drive or Obsidian Sync and you can open the same notes from Obsidian on Mac, iPad, or elsewhere.

This integration ships in Simple Memo - for Obsidian; that page documents exactly which note it appends to and in what format.