The discharge of iOS 18 introduced quite a lot of new options to Apple’s Journal app, together with the brand new skill to look and type entries.
Apple’s Journal app was initially launched in December 2023 alongside iOS 17. In October 2024, it acquired its first main replace, as a part of the iOS 18 improve.
There’s new assist for noting one’s frame of mind, if desired, together with the power to print particular person entries, and extra. The most important new addition to Journal in iOS 18, although, is the arrival of search and type performance.
Search, which was unusually lacking from the preliminary launch of Journal, now has the acquainted “magnifying glass” icon proper on the high, enabling looking out by a wide range of standards. When tapped, it will present any latest searches, in addition to classes one can filter the search time by, equivalent to date, temper, or any particular phrase or phrase.
Entries may also be searched and sorted by different standards, together with text-only posts, or these with pictures, audio, or movies included. Different classes embody “Bookmarked,” “Locations,” and “Reflections.”
For instance, along with a phrase or phrase like “basketball sport,” you may add the Video class to point out solely entries which have video included. You may freely combine and match issues like Temper and Locations with any phrase or phrase you may need utilized in an entry that will help you discover it.
Second Dates, stats, and extra
The iOS 18 replace to Journal additionally brings extra sorting choices. The unique model solely sorted entries by the date they have been written, however now a brand new technique known as “Second Date” has been added.
When writing about an occasion that occurred in your previous, now you can set the entry date to the date the occasion occurred — the Second Date — or go away the entry date because the day you wrote the entry. The Second Date possibility lets you see a chronological timeline of occasions as they occurred, somewhat than once you documented them.
In case you are utilizing the Second Date somewhat than the day you wrote the entry, the Second Date shall be proven when doing a seek for entries in a given time interval.
iOS 18 additionally brings statistics to the Journal app, known as Insights. The variety of phrases written on common per entry, locations you’ve gotten visited, how typically you have written in a given time interval, and your longest writing streak or writing hole might be seen, amongst different choices.
The Journal app additionally now has a calendar view, marking entries and statistics — together with writing streaks. As with the Notes app, Journal can now lets customers report an audio diary entry, somewhat than writing it out, through the use of the brand new File button.
As soon as recorded, person shall be prompted in the event that they wish to generate transcriptions of the audio. There may be additionally extra textual content customization in iOS 18, together with coloured textual content and highlighting.
There are additionally new Residence Display screen and Lock Display screen widgets. These provide writing prompts, and the power to start out a brand new entry proper from there.
Examples of Journal widgets for the lock display (left) and residential display (proper).
For the Residence Display screen, Journal can add Streaks and New Entry widgets. The Streaks widget reveals your present streak in case you are in a single, or your previous every day or weekly streaks — relying on how typically you make new entries.
Should you faucet on the widget, it would open the Journal app to the Insights web page for extra info.
The New Entry widget will present a random writing immediate on the Residence Display screen. Tapping on a immediate will take you on to the New Entry web page within the app.
There are additionally Lock Display screen widgets obtainable for the Journal app. These enable for direct entry to the brand new options, equivalent to audio recording, selecting an image, rapidly including a State of Thoughts standing, or pictures, or location info.
So as to add one of many Journal widgets to the Lock Display screen, faucet and maintain the Lock Display screen, and faucet the Customise button. Select the Lock Display screen, then faucet “App Widgets,” which seems straight under the time show.
From there, decide certainly one of pre-existing Apple widgets, or scroll down by by the listing of apps to see their widgets. Faucet one so as to add it, after which faucet Accomplished to exit the lock display modifying mode.
What’s extra, customers can count on extra to return to the app over the course of 2024 and 2025, with the arrival of extra Apple Intelligence options in iOS 18.2 and later updates. If in case you have a qualifying iPhone, such because the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 16 fashions, Apple Intelligence will provide options equivalent to summarizing lengthy entries, or serving to you rewrite an entry with a particular tone in thoughts.
These enhancements and enhancements ought to entice extra customers to maintain and repeatedly replace their Journal, and make it simpler to doc their lives, ideas, and particular moments. Whereas there’s nonetheless no iPad or Mac variations, oddly, the power to dictate entries and add media make it simpler to construct your journal from wherever.
