What is the Captio Method?
The Captio Method is the simple concept of "sending memos to yourself by email." Pioneered by the iOS app Captio around 2010, it established a minimal 3-step flow: open app, type text, one-tap send to your own email. Simple Memo (Captio-style) is a modern redesign of this philosophy with current technology.
The Captio Method places "sending memos to yourself by email" at the core of a productivity workflow. Established by the iOS app Captio around 2010, this methodology requires no account registration, cloud sync, or learning new apps. By leveraging email inbox infrastructure you already use, it integrates naturally with GTD, Inbox Zero, Second Brain, and other productivity systems. The name derives from the Latin form of "capture" — this method is laser-focused on capturing thoughts.
History of Captio
Captio launched on the App Store around 2010. Its developers stripped the app down to a single function: "write a memo and email it to yourself." This extreme minimalism earned a passionate following among GTD and Inbox Zero practitioners. According to the shutdown notice on captio.co, the service ended in October 2024. No official reason for the shutdown was published.
Simple Memo is inspired by Captio's "one-tap memo to email" workflow and built with modern technology. Sending with no SMTP setup (through a relay on Cloudflare Workers + Resend API), AES-256-GCM Outbox encryption, a 0.4s launch (warm, iPhone 16e), and one-tap sending — built with current iOS and server technology.
Three Principles of the Captio Method
FAQ: Captio Method
What is the Captio Method?
The simple concept of "sending memos to yourself by email." Pioneered by the Captio app around 2010, it follows a minimal 3-step flow: open, type, send.
Is the original Captio app still available?
No. According to the shutdown notice on captio.co, Captio ended service in October 2024. Simple Memo is a separate app inspired by Captio's workflow, built with modern tech: sending with no SMTP setup, on-device AES-256-GCM encryption, and more.
What are the benefits of the Captio Method?
Three benefits: extremely low friction (open, type, send), leverage existing email inbox, no account registration needed. Naturally integrates with any productivity system.
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