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

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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.jpg

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.

Article Link: iOS 18 Brings New Insights, Widgets, and Health Integration to Apple's Journal App
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/10/ios-18-brings-new-insights-to-journal-app/
I was really excited about the Journal app last year and it turned out quite disappointing. An iOS only app with a very limited feature set. I'm wondering if it's still the case
 
I use the Journal app on my iPhone. I get the notification. I write a few sentences about my day. Add some pictures.
 
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.
 
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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.
 
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Makes sense to start the journal app on the device you always have on you, but I think it really needs to make its way onto the devices with keyboards asap. But the biggest problem for me is I don’t think I can use it until it has robust tagging.

Edit- it would also need a way to import/consolidate entries from other journal apps while preserving all metadata especially tags.
 
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Like everyone else.
Waiting for iPadOS and Mac.
Same with Health app.
 
chicago19 said:
I have honestly been waiting for the MacOS and iPad versions. I don't want to journal on my Iphone. I would like to use a proper keyboard.
Click to expand...
you can type on iPad in notes and use iCloud clipboard to paste it to the journal app. Takes 1 second. Temporary bandaid
 
Ghost31 said:
you can type on iPad in notes and use iCloud clipboard to paste it to the journal app. Takes 1 second. Temporary bandaid
Click to expand...
It might be a feasible workaround for some, but it would take several seconds to take out your phone, unlock it, navigate to the app, open it, create a new entry, and paste. And that’s assuming your iPhone is even nearby. For any task, even the tiniest of friction points will greatly discourage getting it done, that’s just human nature. So, for many it’s probably easier to just use a third party journaling app until Apple brings Journal to iPad/Mac.
 
Can’t believe it still doesn’t have mac or ipad support. I was nearly sure that with new os versions app will come to these platforms. Such a big disappointment.
 
There is a new Journal widget for the Journal app on Mac OS Sequoia now. when you click "new entry" it tells you to open the phone but I am pretty sure that in an upcoming Beta version, when they launch the iPhone on a Mac Continuity feature, when you click "new entry" it brings up your iPhone on your Mac and you can use your Mac to type an entry. That would work.
 
Mcmac51 said:
There is a new Journal widget for the Journal app on Mac OS Sequoia now. when you click "new entry" it tells you to open the phone but I am pretty sure that in an upcoming Beta version, when they launch the iPhone on a Mac Continuity feature, when you click "new entry" it brings up your iPhone on your Mac and you can use your Mac to type an entry. That would work.
Click to expand...
Wait, there's a Journal app in Sequoia?
 
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