iOS 18 Brings New Insights, Widgets, and Health Integration to Apple's Journal App

Monday June 10, 2024 2:46 pm PDT by Hartley Charlton

iOS 18 introduces a host of new features for the iPhone’s Journal app, including an all-new insights view, advanced search and sort functionalities, and integration with the Health app.

ios 18 journal app
The all-new insights view offers a comprehensive overview of journaling activities. This includes tracking writing streaks, displaying a calendar with existing entries, and providing fun statistics that encourage users to write more frequently.

The updated Journal app now includes advanced search and sort functionalities. Users can easily locate specific entries and organize their journal for easier accessibility.

Time spent journaling can now be recorded as mindful minutes and users can log their state of mind directly within the Journal app.

Apple has introduced new widgets for the Journal app, available on both the Home Screen and Lock Screen. These widgets allow users to quickly start a new entry, view their current streaks, and receive writing prompts throughout the day.

The Journal app also gains automatic transcription for audio recordings, allowing users to capture their thoughts and ideas verbally, with the app converting spoken words into text entries.

The app now supports exporting of journal entries, allowing users to save entries offline or share them in printed form.

The Journal app made its debut on the iPhone in December 2023, but it remains unavailable in iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.

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Top Rated Comments

Motawa

31 months ago

and how is it still not on the Mac?

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

DC Wallaby

31 months ago

Until they make an iPadOS or macOS version, I’m going to continue dismissing the notifications I get from this app throughout the day. I want to use this simple little journaling app, I want it to have the deep system integration, etc., etc., but I want to be able to type my entries with a keyboard rather than on a cramped phone screen.

Now, if I find this whole iPhone-mirroring Continuity feature in macOS Sequoia to be useful, maybe that will be a suitable workaround for the time being. But I’d much prefer they just make an iPad version of the app, which they should have done from the get-go anyway.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

jamescharley22

31 months ago

Was really, really, really looking forward to iPad and Mac availability but I understand iPhone is using on-device querying to generate Suggestions. But what about anything my iPad and I have experienced that my phone hasn’t? Why isn’t iCloud good enough to sync Journal(s) and Suggestions but it’s good enough for my Health data??? I don’t know :/

I would have really loved to have folders, groups, Shelves, or whatever you wanna coin it just to differentiate types of journals. Primary Journal/Diary, maybe separate them, Dream Journal, “Whimsy Log, Wish Diary, Poems, and Stream-of-Consciousness Travel Log” (“Vacation Movie” reference). My point is having a dedicated place to dump all these things is really great but maybe we would benefit from grouping if we don’t get cross-platform availability and syncing.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)