After the Journal app was introduced in iOS 17, Apple continued to improve it with new features. While there’s no sign of a macOS or iPadOS expansion, Apple previewed some of the upcoming features of the Journal app in iOS 18 at WWDC.
Journaling for wellbeing: One reason we journal is to take care of our mental health. With iOS 18, you can log your state of mind in the app. Apple says you can also automatically add the time you spend journaling as mindful minutes in the Health app.
Track goals with insights view: View your writing streaks, a calendar with existing entries, and other stats to help you stay on top of your journaling goals, such as how long you’ve journaled, how many restaurants you visited, or even how many words you’ve written so far.
Sort and search past entries: You can easily find past entries by sorting your Journal and using Search to find exactly what you’re looking for by entering keywords or from the list of categories Apple offers, such as workouts, music, podcasts, photos, etc.
Home Screen or Lock Screen widgets: With iOS 18, you can take the Journal app to the next level by adding a widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen with writing prompts that change throughout the day. You can also add a widget to track your current streak.
We’re still in the early days of the iOS 18 beta releases, so Apple might add even more features to the Journal app down the road. We’ll tell you about them as they arrive.
To learn even more about iOS 18, such as the all-new Messages app features, the upcoming Mail experience, and all AirPods Pro tweaks that will be available later this year, check out our guide below.
