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If you've downloaded iOS 17.2, you're probably wondering why there's a new app on your home screen. It's the Journal app, and it's exactly what it sounds like: a place to reflect and record your thoughts and memories. Before you rush to delete it, I recommend giving it a chance.
It's all part of the company's push to improve your mental health. In addition to the Journal app, Apple introduced the option to log your daily moods in the Health app, under a category called State of Mind. You can also use Siri to ask Health-app-related questions, like “How much have I slept this week?” While those are meant for logging and keeping track of feelings and metrics, the Journal app is designed to focus on your overall well-being. You can add photos, videos, and geotags and you can record voice notes, like a digital scrapbook. The app also suggests prompts pulled from Photos, Activity, and more.
It's not a unique app. You won't be hard-pressed to find many alternatives on the App Store—particularly ones available across all of Apple's platforms (iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS). Journal is only available for iOS, and it's a no-frills app with limited customization. But it's free and simple, and that's the best part.
A Simple Experience
I hate journaling. I know there are a lot of benefits to journaling, like tracking progress on my goals or reducing stress. But I struggle to express my emotions freely without scrutinizing each sentence. The entire experience is always more frustrating than cathartic. I wasn't immediately jumping at the opportunity to use the Journal app. But since I'm already glued to my phone after work, scrolling through TikTok and answering texts, I figured I might as well dedicate some of that time to giving journaling another chance.
To make it a habit, I used the Journaling Schedule feature and set specific days and times to receive reminders. I started with Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 8 pm, thinking I could use that time to decompress each day. When the feature is turned on, you receive a push notification on your lock screen—tap on it and you'll immediately be brought to the app.
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The user interface is straightforward. Tap the plus sign at the bottom to create a new entry and start typing. You can supplement each one with additional assets, including photos, locations, and voice memos. If you don't want to write at all that day but still want to compile an entry, you can add just a visual or voice note, to include at least some type of memory or thought. There's even a Save Without Writing option for when you want to solely include a photo or video within an entry.
When I first started using the Journal app back in November, it felt like I had a ton to write about. My boyfriend ran the New York Marathon, so I documented the entire week leading up to it and the day of—complete with videos, photos, and location of the entire experience. When the holidays rolled around, it was easy to think of experiences to write about. Then, there was my birthday weekend last month. I wrote about turning the big three-oh, and I included photos of my cake and notes on all the things we did. It felt like the content was flowing for a while.
Of course, some weeks aren't action-packed (especially now that the holidays are behind us). I can only say so much about watching TV or ordering takeout. That's where the Journal Suggestions feature comes in. According to Apple, suggestions are created using on-device intelligence from information that already exists on your iPhone.
When searching for suggestions, you'll see two tabs. The Recommended tab pulls from content throughout the years, including photos, videos, and locations to inspire you to write about a memory. Sprinkled in between are Reflections, which consist of introspective prompts like “Write about a time someone made something special for you. Include a photo of it.” Or “Describe the most memorable part of your week.” The Recent tab pulls suggestions from your daily activities throughout the week, like phone calls you made, photos and videos you took, or places you went to in an attempt to inspire you to write about it.
Suggestions aren't always my go-to. The reflection prompts were just so corny. But to push me out of my comfort zone and force me to use the Journal app as more than just a highlight reel, I made an effort to try and use a couple, like “Write about something you've struggled to change. What steps could you take today?” and “What went well for you this week?” It did feel nice to take some time to both reflect and plan for the future.
The Recommended tab, on the other hand, will occasionally highlight photos from years ago—some of which trigger memories I simply don't want to recall. Meanwhile, the push notifications (that remind you it's time to journal) sometimes include suggestions based on recent activity. Mine are often based on recent locations I've visited, which can get annoying. No, I don't want to write about a vet visit with my dog, or getting my nails done, or my visits to CVS. My colleague, Adrienne So, feels the same way. She popped into a bar for only a few minutes and received a suggestion to journal about her time there.
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You can tweak this via the Settings. You have the option to either turn Journaling Suggestions off completely or pick and choose which ones you want to keep on, including Activity (your workouts and exercises), Media (podcasts and music you listen to), Contact (people you message and call), Photos (library, memories, and shared photos), and Significant Locations (places where you spend time). Since I don't care to write about my phone calls or texts or my locations, I turned off Contacts and Significant Locations.
Journal is also included within the share sheet in all apps. So, if you're scrolling through content outside the app, you can tap the Share button and select Journal to send content right into the app. You can also write about new music you discovered on Spotify, a funny meme from Twitter, or an interesting TikTok.
What About Notes?
If I were using the Alignment System to describe the difference between Notes and Journal, I'd categorize the Notes app as Chaotic Good and the Journal app as Lawful Good. I still use my Notes app for fleeting thoughts: story ideas, grocery lists, passwords, packing checklists, email addresses, and recipes. If you were to scroll through each entry, you'd find a very wide range of things. There is no rhyme or reason to it. But the Journal app is strictly reserved for my memories and thoughts. There's a sense of order when you scroll through it.
Unlike the Notes app, the Journal app is passcode-protected. Depending on the iPhone model you have, you can either use a numerical passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID. So, you don't have to worry about people reading your deepest, darkest secrets.
However, there are some Notes-specific features I wish Apple would've incorporated into Journal. For starters, it'd be nice if there was a search bar to look up entries. Instead, you can only search based on categories: Photos, Videos, Reflections, Places, and Bookmarked (you'll have to bookmark entries for them to appear here manually). I can imagine it'll become fairly frustrating over time as you rack up entries.
I also wish Apple would've extended the app to the rest of its devices. Like I said before, it's only available on iPhone. Seeing as how this is a text-based app at its core, I often find myself wanting to sit down and type out longer journal entries on my MacBook or my iPad using the Magic Keyboard. It feels limiting, especially on days when I'm trying to be on my phone less. You can store your journal entries in iCloud, though. That way, if you switch phones, you'll still have access to all of them.
A Push in the Right Direction
I wish I could say the Journal app transformed me into someone who now loves to journal. It hasn't. But if there's anything I've taken away from using it, it's that I don't have to put so much pressure on myself to be a good journaler. I used to think each entry had to be insanely long and filled with loads of emotion. By offering the ability to document your thoughts, feelings, and memories using a bunch of different types of content, I feel satisfied when I've logged an entry regardless of how much I've written.
Over time, journaling three times a week began to feel more like a chore than a relaxing activity. Once a week or whenever I feel like I need to express overwhelming thoughts seems fine. Regardless, it's weirdly comforting to know it's right there on my phone whenever I need it.
If you're already in the habit of journaling using a physical notebook, or regularly use another journaling app—I wouldn't switch, unless you really want to incorporate content from your phone or you often struggle with figuring out what to write about. But it's easy and intuitive to use. You can express yourself with TikToks and songs, not just written feelings. And if you're ever stuck, it offers you prompts, so you'll always have something to write about. If like me, you never journaled because it felt overwhelming, it's a good place to start.
