There’s nothing new about the practice of keeping a daily journal, and there’s nothing new about using a phone to do it—but what is new is Apple’s dedicated app for the job, called (appropriately enough) Journal.
Journal is rolling out now with iOS 17.2, so if you’ve not yet updated your iPhone to the latest software version, you’ll need to do that first. Journal will appear as a new app on your home screen and in your library.
The idea is for users to “capture and write about everyday moments and special events in their lives, and include photos, videos, audio recordings, locations, and more to create rich memories,” says Apple.
Here we’ll guide you through the features available in Journal right now, and why you might want to make use of it. Bear in mind that there are plenty of other great iOS journaling apps out there, including Day One, Moodnotes, and Daylio.
Getting started and options
Launch Journal from the home screen or the app library, and you’ll be introduced to some of its key features: Tap Continue when you’re ready to get started. Clearly your journal is going to look a little sparse until you’ve built up a few days’ worth of entries, but you can create new ones by tapping the large + (plus) button at the bottom of the screen.
At this point you’ll be asked if you want to turn on journaling suggestions: These are prompts based on how you use your iPhone, so they might be based on a FaceTime call you made with someone or a group of photos you took. You can turn them on, carry on without them, or customize the types of suggestions you get.
If you turn on journaling suggestions, you’ll be given some ideas for how to start an entry (with a photo memory for example)—or you can tap New Entry to start with a blank page. If you’re working without journaling suggestions, you’ll just be taken to a blank page, where…
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