Apple’s Journal app for iPhone: What it is, how it works, and what’s interesting about it

iOS 17.2 Beta 1 was released on October 27th, along with the long-awaited Journal app, which was first unveiled at the Apple WWDC event. This is the first time Apple is bringing a dedicated first-party journaling app to the iPhone. So those who have been scribbling in third-party apps like Evernote or the Notes app now finally have a place to write about their day, their favorite memories, and the moments they want to remember. The Journal app also allows users to add photos, videos, audio recordings, locations, and more. So let’s take a look at the Journal app and see what it has to offer.

journal app

Journaling has become increasingly popular lately, and for good reason. A 2006 study found that diary writing may be as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy when it comes to reducing the risk of depression in young adults. Numerous studies have also shown that regular journaling can reduce the frequency of depressing thoughts and improve overall mental health.

However, for many people, keeping a diary in a notebook is a hassle. Because you need to maintain a physical diary, keep it replenished, and carry it with you everywhere. That’s why digital journaling is a go-to for many people. And what could be more convenient than having a digital journal on your phone that you can take with you wherever you go?

This is where Apple’s Journal app comes in and fills a much-needed void. And its features allow different types of users to keep a diary in the medium they are most comfortable with.

Journal app features

Traditionalists can focus on journaling as they always have, but those who aren’t interested in writing can instead post photos and videos to capture moments and look back on them later. Masu. Those who prefer speaking to writing can also create their entries using playable audio recordings. Additionally, users can also add location tags to attach entries to specific locations.

But this is just the beginning of what you can do with this Journal app. Users also have the option to create theme-based diary entries. These themes can be based on places you’ve visited, songs you’ve heard, or photos you’ve clicked at a special place.

However, even this isn’t the Journal app’s greatest strength. What makes this app stand out among many other similar apps is its personalization feature. The Journal app provides personalized suggestions based on the things you do most often on your iPhone. It could be a specific place you visit each week, your workout routine, the last podcast you listened to, or your current favorite show on Apple TV+. These recommendations are generated through on-device machine learning. You can also choose which categories of recommendations you want to see in the Journal app.

To help users feel motivated to enter, the app also provides prompts to make users think and help them write better. The prompts are divided into “Recent” and “Reflective”, with the former based on recent activities you’ve done, and the latter deeper questions aimed at provoking thoughts about yourself.

Apart from this, there are also some quality-of-life features like bookmarking entries, easy sharing from other Apple apps, filters, scheduling journal timing, and a lock to keep your journal app safe.

The Journal app will be available once iOS 17.2 stable version is generally available.