Introduction

In June, during WWDC, Apple unveiled its upcoming Journal app, designed for iPhones and set to launch alongside iOS 17. The app is now nearing its public release, especially with the beta version of iOS 17.2 available. I've had the chance to explore the Journal app during this beta phase, and this article will be continuously updated to reflect its full range of features, whether you're reading it during beta testing or after the official launch.

This guide will cover the app's user interface, customizable writing options, writing prompts, notifications, and several other noteworthy features. We will also compare it to other journaling apps available in the App Store and discuss potential improvements.

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Journal App UI

Upon launching the app for the first time, you’ll encounter a welcoming splash screen that provides an overview of its functionalities. However, let’s delve deeper into what the app offers.

The main screen of the app is intentionally minimalistic, reflecting Apple's design philosophy of simplicity. This clean layout is calming and free from distractions.

Once you tap the ‘+’ icon at the bottom to add a new journal entry, the app will request access to specific privacy settings, such as your Photo Library, Apple Music, Podcasts, Calls and Messages, Health Activities (like workouts), and Significant Locations. These permissions are intended to enhance your journaling experience, and you can manage them through the iPhone’s native Settings app:

Settings > Journal > Journaling Suggestions > Suggestion Privacy Settings.

After granting (or declining) these permissions, you’ll be presented with an option to either start a new entry or explore recommended or recent suggestions tailored to your preferences.

Navigating the Journal app is straightforward: a filter option in the top-right corner enables you to sort entries based on media types, while the ‘+’ button at the bottom center initiates a new entry. That summarizes the UI of the Journal app.

Writing Entry

When you decide to create a new entry, a clean slate appears for your writing. Curiosity led me to explore the three-dots menu, which only provides an option to select the date for your entry—either today or a custom date.

Unfortunately, there are no text formatting options available for your entries, which means distinguishing between titles and body text relies solely on using bold, italics, underline, or strikethrough from the formatting options. There are no options for headings, font colors, or sizes.

In terms of customization, you can attach images, videos, recorded audio, and location data to your entries. If you start a new entry, you can still select a suggested prompt by tapping the pencil icon in the bottom left.

Writing Prompts

A significant aspect of any journaling app is the inclusion of writing prompts, which can help you develop a regular writing habit. The Journal app features these prompts, referred to as ‘Reflections’. They consist of simple questions or tasks that encourage deeper reflection on various aspects of life. Here are a few examples:

A Filled Journal

By "a filled journal," I mean how the app appears after you've made several entries, rather than implying you can fill the app to the brim (unless you run out of iCloud storage, of course!).

This is a glimpse of the Journal app’s landing page when populated with various entries. You can use the filter icon at the top-right to narrow down your entries by categories.

Swiping left on an entry gives you the option to edit or delete it, while swiping right allows you to bookmark it.

These filters are based on the types of media and labels you've applied to your entries, including Bookmarked, Photos, Recorded Audio, Music & Podcasts, Reflections, Conversations, and Places.

PS: When you bookmark entries, they will be visible in a separate section when you select ‘Bookmarked’ from the filter options.

The user interface is elegantly simple, showcasing how media is layered above the journal entries while fading out as the number of entries increases.

Notifications

The Journal app offers two types of notifications:

1. The first type is based on media suggestions. This might include new locations or photo memories that the app recognizes, prompting you to create a new journal entry about them.

2. The second type relates to your journaling schedule, which you can customize via the iPhone’s Settings app:

Settings > Journal > Journaling Schedule. Here, you can specify the days and times you want reminders to journal.

Notable Settings to Look Out For

Apple's Journal app is so streamlined that many features can only be accessed through the native Settings app.

Within the Settings, one of the first things you'll notice is the ‘Journaling Suggestions’ section. Here, you can adjust the ‘Suggestions Privacy Settings’ to control which device data the app can access to generate suggestions. You can toggle these settings on or off and even clear your suggestion history if needed.

Under ‘Nearby People’, there are intriguing features such as ‘Prefer Suggestions with Others’, which prioritizes suggestions related to group activities with family and friends based on your shared photos. Disabling this will reduce such suggestions. Additionally, ‘Discoverable with Others’ allows the app to interact with other iPhones in your vicinity (those on iOS 17.2 and later) to enhance their suggestions about you, which could be particularly fun during shared vacations.

Other notable settings include:

1. Skip Journaling Suggestions: Bypass the recommendation screen when starting a new entry.
2. Lock Journal: Secure the app with your device's passcode or biometric authentication.
3. Journaling Schedule: Set reminders for journaling days and times.
4. Save to Photos: Automatically store images and videos captured within the app to your Photo library.

Note: Journal notifications differ from Journal Suggestions notifications and are found under **Settings > Journal > Journal Suggestions > Journal Suggestions Settings*.*

Features Apple Missed Out On

There are several features I believe Apple could have included at launch:

1. Widgets and Siri Shortcuts: These would make it easier for users to get into the habit of journaling.
2. In-App Search and Spotlight Indexing: The ability to search for specific text within entries would greatly enhance usability.
3. Exporting and Importing Entries: This feature is crucial for users transitioning from other journaling apps, as it prevents data loss.
4. iPad & Mac App Support: Given that the Journal app syncs to iCloud, it seems logical to support larger screens for easier typing.
5. Recorded Audio Transcription: Many users would appreciate having transcripts for audio journal entries.

Personally, I find the lack of iPad and Mac support disappointing, and it may take until next fall for Apple to address these shortcomings.

Conclusion

The Journal app offers a solid introduction to journaling for newcomers, all at no cost. Although it lacks several major features, it still fulfills its primary purpose of helping you document your thoughts.

I wouldn't recommend comparing this app to others available on the App Store, as it would likely fall short. Even free versions of some other journaling apps offer better customization options and user interfaces. One app worth considering is Day One. I'll be writing a comparative article soon, highlighting the differences between Apple’s native app and other popular journaling options, so stay tuned.

If you have updated to iOS 17.2 and tried the Journal app, I'd love to hear about your experiences and thoughts on its features. Your feedback will help me create more relevant content in the future.

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