When Apple unveiled iOS 17 at its WWDC event in June, the Journal app drew a lot of attention. However, the tech giant didn’t release the app with iOS 17 on Sept. 18 or with the iPhone 15 series. Instead, Apple gave beta testers and developers a first glimpse of the app with iOS 17.2 beta 1.Â
Journaling has been linked to many mental health benefits, including managing anxiety, reducing stress and helping cope with depression. But some people might have a difficult time remembering to journal or won’t know what to write. Apple’s Journal app makes it easy to jot down a few thoughts when you’re on your phone, and it provides you with writing prompts and other reminders about what you’ve done in a day.
Here’s what you should know about Journal and how it works. Note I tested the app on iOS 17.2 beta 1, so some features could change in the final version of the software.
What is Journal?
Journal is an app developed by Apple to write journal entries and insert pictures, videos and other content into entries. Your entries are stored locally on your iPhone, and you can have backups of your entries on iCloud.
Journal can provide you with prompts, called Reflections, that you can write about. Some Reflections the app gave me included, “Think about something you love to do and why it brings you joy,” and “Describe someone in your life who you really appreciate but forget to thank.”
The app can also access certain data and give you suggestions about what to write based on that data. For example, on my first weekend with Journal it suggested I write about a coffee shop my wife and I went to, as well as a local park that we visited. You can control what types of data and other apps Journal can access to create these suggestions.Â
How secure is Journal?
According to Apple, the app has end-to-end encryption between your device and iCloud, and the app uses on-device processes to create…
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