Most people downloaded the iOS 17.2 update, saw the new butterfly icon on their home screen, opened it once, and then tucked it away into a "Utility" folder to die. It's a shame. Apple’s Journal app is actually the most ambitious thing they’ve done for the iPhone in years, but they did a terrible job explaining why it exists. It’s not just a digital notebook. It’s a privacy-first data aggregator that tries to solve the biggest problem with journaling: the blank page.
You know that feeling. You sit down to write, and your brain goes totally numb. "I ate a sandwich today." Riveting stuff. Apple knows this, so they built an API that looks at your location data, your workout history, who you texted, and what music you blasted on Spotify (well, mostly Apple Music) to give you "Journaling Suggestions."
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The creepy-yet-cool reality of Journaling Suggestions
Let's get the "privacy" thing out of the way because that’s the first thing everyone asks about. Honestly, it sounds terrifying. An app that tracks where you went and who you were with just to tell you to write about it? But here is the technical nuance: the "Suggestions" engine runs entirely on-device. This means the processing happens on your iPhone’s silicon, not on an Apple server in Cupertino.
When your iPhone suggests you write about "An afternoon at Central Park with Sarah," it’s using Bluetooth signatures to recognize proximity to other people in your contacts. It’s not "spying" in the traditional sense; it’s more like your phone keeping a private log that only you can see. If you don't use the app, that data just sits there. If you do, it becomes a prompt.
I’ve found that the real power of the Journal app iOS 17 version is in the metadata. Most apps just give you text. Apple gives you the weather, the exact map location, and the song you were listening to when you took that photo of your lukewarm latte. It builds a sensory profile of a moment.
Why Day One users are (mostly) sticking around
For years, the gold standard has been Day One. It’s polished. It’s cross-platform. It has a "On This Day" feature that hits the nostalgia button perfectly. So, why would anyone switch to Apple’s bare-bones version?
Complexity isn't always a feature. Sometimes it’s a burden.
Day One has subscriptions and sync settings and a million formatting options. Apple’s Journal app is stripped back. It’s almost aggressively simple. You get a "+" button, a few filters for "Photos" or "Reflections," and that’s basically it. For a lot of people, that’s the sweet spot. You aren't managing a database; you're just dumping your brain.
However, the Journal app on iOS 17 launched with some glaring holes. You couldn't search your entries. Think about that for a second. You write for six months, want to find that one note about a restaurant in Lisbon, and you have to scroll manually. It felt unfinished because, frankly, it was. Apple treats its software like a slow-burn evolution. They ship the core, then they fix the annoyances in the next point-release.
Breaking down the Reflections feature
Beyond the "Moments" (which are based on your actual activity), Apple included something called "Reflections." These are essentially philosophical writing prompts. They ask things like, "What’s the most important lesson you learned this week?"
Some people find these cheesy. I get it. It feels a bit like a high school English assignment. But from a mental health perspective—and Apple has been leaning hard into the "Health" category lately—these prompts are based on positive psychology principles. They want you to practice gratitude because the data shows it actually lowers cortisol. It’s a health feature disguised as a lifestyle app.
The technical limitations you’ll actually notice
No iPad app. No Mac app.
This is the biggest hurdle for serious writers. If you want to type out a 2,000-word manifesto about your feelings, doing it on a glass screen with your thumbs is a nightmare. This app is designed for "micro-journaling." It’s for the 30-second window while you’re waiting for the bus.
- No iCloud.com access: You can't see these entries on a web browser.
- Locked in the ecosystem: Good luck exporting your data to a PDF or a text file easily. Apple wants you to stay.
- Minimalist formatting: Don't expect bold, italics, or H2 headers inside your entries. It’s plain text or bust.
How to actually make this app useful
If you want to actually use the journal app iOS 17 introduced without it becoming another ghost app on your phone, you have to automate the habit.
Go into Settings > Journal > Journaling Schedule. Turn it on.
Pick a time when you’re usually mindless—maybe 9:00 PM when you’re scrolling TikTok. The notification acts as a pattern interrupt. When the notification pops up, don’t try to write a novel. Just tap a suggestion, add one sentence, and hit "Done."
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The magic isn't in the writing; it's in the looking back. Six months from now, when you're wondering what you were doing in the winter of '24, those "Suggested Moments" will be a vivid time capsule.
Practical Next Steps
- Audit your permissions: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Journaling Suggestions. Decide right now if you want your phone to track "Significant Locations" or "Contacts" for your prompts. If it feels too "Big Brother," toggle them off but keep "Photos" and "Workouts" on.
- Set a lock: Enable "Lock Journal" in the app settings. It uses FaceID. Even if you hand your phone to a friend to show them a photo, they can’t get into your private thoughts.
- Use the Filter: Tap the icon in the top right of the app. You can quickly see all your entries that have voice recordings or photos, which is much faster than scrolling through a wall of text.
- Stop overthinking: The best entry is a boring one. "Today was fine, coffee was hot." Just get the data into the system so the algorithm has something to work with.
The Journal app isn't going to change your life overnight. It’s a long-term play. It’s about building a digital legacy that isn't for Instagram likes or Twitter clout, but just for you. Give it a week of consistent, low-effort input before you decide to delete it. You might be surprised by what your iPhone remembers that you've already forgotten.