Everything you need to know to get the most out of Quotator.
When you first open Quotator you'll see the empty library screen and a short tutorial. The tutorial walks through all the main features and can be replayed any time from Settings → Show Tutorial.
Tap Add Quote (the + button in the top-right corner) to write your first quote, or tap Load Sample Quotes to start with 10 styled examples you can explore, edit, or delete.
Tap the + button to open the Add Quote form.
Tap Save. If the same quote text already exists in your library, Quotator warns you and offers the option to save it anyway or cancel.
Tap any existing quote in the list to open it for editing.
The live preview card at the top of the edit form shows exactly how the quote will look in the widget. Use the Medium / Large toggle to check both widget sizes before saving.
Scroll down to the formatting section. The Default / Custom toggle controls whether the quote uses inherited defaults or its own style:
When Custom is on, the following options appear:
| Option | Choices |
|---|---|
| Font | 19 options — see list below |
| Text Color | 19 presets, or tap + for any custom color |
| Background | 19 presets, or tap + for any custom color |
| Alignment | Left, Center, Right |
System designs: System, Serif, Monospaced, Rounded
Curated fonts: Georgia, Palatino, Baskerville, Didot, American Typewriter, Courier New, Futura, Gill Sans, Helvetica Neue, Avenir Next, Optima, Copperplate, Marker Felt, Noteworthy, Snell Roundhand
The font picker shows each option in its own typeface so you can see exactly how it will look.
The color grid shows 19 preset colors. Tap the + tile to open the iOS color picker, where you can choose any fully opaque color using the spectrum, sliders, or hex input. Custom colors are saved alongside the presets.
Quotator uses a three-tier formatting system so you can style your library consistently without touching every quote individually:
This means you can set Georgia on a warm background as your app default, use Futura on a dark background for your "Evening" category, and override two specific quotes individually — all without changing the rest of your library.
Go to the Categories tab to create and manage categories.
Tap + to add a category. Each category has a name and an optional default formatting style. When you assign a default style to a category, all quotes in it that use Default formatting inherit that style.
Tap any category to edit its name or style.
To delete a category, swipe left. If it has quotes assigned, you'll be asked what to do with those quotes:
The Uncategorized virtual category appears throughout the app to represent quotes that haven't been assigned to any category.
Swipe left on any quote to reveal the Delete button. Deletion is permanent.
Swipe right to disable a quote. It stays in your library but is excluded from widget rotation. A dimmed eye icon marks disabled quotes. Swipe right again to re-enable.
Tap Edit in the top-left corner, then drag the handles to reorder quotes. This sets the Sequential rotation order. Reordering is disabled while a category filter chip is active — select All first.
Pull down on the list to reveal the search bar. Filters by quote text and author simultaneously. Works together with category filter chips.
A row of chips appears at the top of the quotes list. Tap a chip to filter the list to that category. Tap All to clear the filter.
Tapping the widget while using your phone opens the Quotator app.
Each Rotating Quote widget can be configured independently. Long-press the widget and tap Edit Widget to open its settings:
Which quotes to show in this widget:
How often the widget shows a new quote: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, or once a day.
Each widget you add can have a different interval — one widget for hourly rotation, another for daily.
iOS controls when widgets refresh; apps can request an update but iOS may delay it to conserve battery. If your widget looks stale for more than a few minutes after the interval should have passed, try removing the widget and re-adding it. See also the FAQ.
The Specific Quote widget always shows exactly one quote you choose during configuration. It never changes unless you edit the widget.
To set it up: add the widget → long-press → Edit Widget → tap the quote field → search for and select the quote you want.
Perfect for a daily mantra, a personal mission statement, or a quote you want to see every single day without it being replaced by rotation.
Quotator registers a Focus filter in iOS, which lets you assign a different quote category and rotation mode to each Focus mode you have configured.
When this Focus mode is active, your Rotating Quote widgets will use the category and rotation you set here, overriding their individual widget settings. The interval you set on each widget still applies.
Quote sets let you share formatted collections of quotes with anyone — styles, categories, and all formatting are preserved in a single .json file.
Quotator backs up your entire library — quotes, categories, settings, and all formatting — to your personal iCloud Drive.
Quotator creates a backup automatically once per day when you open the app. Backups are kept in your iCloud Drive under Quotator → Backups. The 10 most recent backups are kept; older ones are deleted automatically.
Requires iCloud Drive to be enabled on your device. If iCloud is not available, an error message is shown.
Tip: Create a backup before any major import or deletion — it's the easiest way to undo a mistake.
Go to Settings → Import from CSV. Select a .csv file. The file should have one quote per row with up to three columns:
"Quote text","Author","Category name"
Author and category are optional. Leave a column blank or omit it entirely. After selecting a file, you'll be asked whether to:
Go to Settings → Export to CSV. Quotator saves your entire library as a CSV file you can share, open in Numbers or Excel, or import into another app.