Apple’s New Journal App: A Powerful Tool for Reflection and Memories, But Does It Go Too Far?
Apple’s new Journal app, launched with iOS 17.2, promises a fresh approach to journaling, aiming to help users document their thoughts and relive special moments. But how does it stack up against traditional journaling methods, and how does Apple’s use of data from your phone play into the experience? I’ve been using the Journal app for a few weeks, and I’m ready to share my thoughts.
Journal App Features: Simple and Familiar, But With A Twist
While the app is designed for simple journaling, it’s not just a digital notebook. Apple has incorporated AI and machine learning to make it a more intelligent and personalized experience. The user interface is refreshingly minimalist, with a large "+" button at the bottom for creating new entries. You can either start a new entry from scratch or choose from curated journaling suggestions.
The app allows for rich media integration, including photos, videos, voice memos, and even location tags. This helps create more detailed and immersive memories. The interface is streamlined, focusing on a simple view of your entries, with filters for viewing all entries, photo-only entries, or bookmarked entries.
Journal App Suggestions: A Double-Edged Sword
This is where the app truly stands out. Suggestions, powered by on-device machine learning, utilize your phone’s data to offer personalized journaling prompts. This data includes photos, videos, music, health data from your Apple Watch, and even your location history.
Under Recommended, the app suggests topics based on your life events, including prompts like “Write about something great in your life that you don’t always think about”. The Recent section presents suggestions based on your recent activities: a park visit, a walk, or even a restaurant you visited.
Moments, another feature, analyzes your data to surface significant memories from your past. These could include photos or videos from a romantic date, a fun trip with friends, or a family gathering. The app can even suggest prompts related to these moments.
While this data-driven approach brings the potential for deeply personalized journaling, it raises concerns about privacy.
Journal App Settings: Taking Control of Your Data
Given the app’s access to your personal data, Apple offers several settings to fine-tune its behavior. In the Settings app, you can adjust the level of access granted to the Journal app. This includes choosing which photos it can access, whether to include location data and image captions, and enabling Face ID lock for added security.
The Journaling Suggestions section provides toggles for controlling data access from various categories: Activity, Media, Contacts, Photos, and Locations. You can turn off all these categories, but more granular control would be ideal.
Journal App – Should You Use It?
If you’re already an avid journaler, Apple’s Journal app adds valuable features like media integration and convenient organization. It also offers a compelling advantage for those new to journaling: the suggestion feature can be a fantastic starting point for getting those creative juices flowing.
However, consider the following:
- Data privacy concerns: While on-device processing is a positive step, the app’s reliance on your data raises privacy concerns. Be sure to carefully review and adjust the settings to your comfort level.
- Limited functionality: Currently, the Journal app is only available on iPhones with iOS 17.2 or later. There’s no word on iPad or Mac versions. It also lacks a basic search function, which can make finding specific entries challenging.
Ultimately, the decision to use Apple’s Journal app depends on your own needs and priorities. If you value data privacy, meticulously tailor the settings to your comfort level. However, if you prioritize a user-friendly and intelligent journaling experience, this new app could be an excellent tool for your journey of self-reflection and memory preservation.
