iPhone [New App] Text Based Journaling App With Focus on Reflection

[Phogro]

Hi everyone,

I started learning SwiftUI during COVID times, and since then I’ve built a few apps as a way to challenge myself and grow as a developer. With each new release, I’ve learned more about design and pushed myself to explore new concepts and tools. For this latest project, I really wanted to dive into SwiftData for persistence and iCloud support.

📱 App Name: Rppl: Reflective Journal​

What it does:
At its core, Rppl is a text-based micro-journaling app designed to let you quickly jot down a few lines about your day. But unlike traditional journaling apps, Rppl is built around a few core ideas that make it a more intentional and reflective experience:

1. Permanent Entries
The idea here is that the app should preserve your thoughts in the moment, exactly as they were, but with the next feature you can augment those initial thoughts with reflective comments over time.
2. Reflection First
Rather than simply showing you a “on this day” style card, Rppl encourages you to engage with past entries through a comment-style thread. It’s like having an ongoing conversation with your past self.
3. Letters to Your Future Self
Building on the idea of time-based reflection, you can also write letters to your future self. These stay locked until their scheduled date, offering a unique and personal way to communicate with who you’ll become.

Would love any feedback, thoughts, or questions. Thanks for reading!

App Store: App Store Link
Price: Free - IAP for advanced stats and iCloud backup $5.99 (Launch Pricing - lifetime unlock)

 

[Beards]

Thought I would give it a try.
Initial thoughts:-
1. Text on an iPad is very small.
2. Once you create a Memory you cannot either edit or delete the entry.
3. On an iPad using Settings/Multitasking & Gestures you cannot minimise the window into four app mode. It only allows you to minimise the bottom very slightly upwards and the sides cannot be closed to a small box.

 

[Phogro]

Thought I would give it a try.
Initial thoughts:-
1. Text on an iPad is very small.
2. Once you create a Memory you cannot either edit or delete the entry.
3. On an iPad using Settings/Multitasking & Gestures you cannot minimise the window into four app mode. It only allows you to minimise the bottom very slightly upwards and the sides cannot be closed to a small box.

Thanks for the awesome feedback! I definitely didn't test on iPad as much as I should've I'll work on making it better on that device in the future.

The choice to make entries permanent was a design choice - the idea being that the entries are a record in time similar to how a written journal can't really be edited. As I was debating this choice I knew it was going to be one of those choices that'd have people questioning why or maybe "how" to delete/edit an entry. Maybe I should make a quick onboarding for new users to make sure that they are aware of the design choice and why the app works the way it does.

 

[Beards]

Thanks for the awesome feedback! I definitely didn't test on iPad as much as I should've I'll work on making it better on that device in the future.

The choice to make entries permanent was a design choice - the idea being that the entries are a record in time similar to how a written journal can't really be edited. As I was debating this choice I knew it was going to be one of those choices that'd have people questioning why or maybe "how" to delete/edit an entry. Maybe I should make a quick onboarding for new users to make sure that they are aware of the design choice and why the app works the way it does.

Yes, I get where you are coming from but if you wish to change the initial memory (I made an error) you cannot… Nor can you delete it which is annoying as every time you launch the app you see your error. At least with a paper entry you can cross it out.

 

[Phogro]

Yes, I get where you are coming from but if you wish to change the initial memory (I made an error) you cannot… Nor can you delete it which is annoying as every time you launch the app you see your error. At least with a paper entry you can cross it out.

Yeah. That is one of the tradeoffs I really struggled with when making this choice. I'm open to playing around with a way to make it editable, maybe retain edit history or something so it's more traceable? Or a "buffer period" like edit within 15 minutes of saving? That way if there's a typo it can be fixed and it's still "within the moment" so to speak.

I'll continue to work on this aspect of it for sure. Thanks for the feedback -- you aren't the only one asking for an edit feature either so you've got other support