A number of the many new options that got here to the Journal app in iOS 18. Picture credit score: Apple
The discharge of iOS 18 introduced quite a lot of new options to Apple’s Journal app, together with the brand new means to look and type entries.
Apple’s Journal app was initially launched in December 2023 alongside iOS 17. In October 2024, it obtained 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 flexibility to print particular person entries, and extra. The largest 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 current searches, in addition to classes one can filter the search time by, comparable to date, temper, or any particular phrase or phrase.
Entries will also be searched and sorted by different standards, together with text-only posts, or these with images, audio, or movies included. Different classes embody “Bookmarked,” “Locations,” and “Reflections.”
For instance, along with a phrase or phrase like “basketball recreation,” you possibly can add the Video class to point out solely entries which have video included. You possibly can freely combine and match issues like Temper and Locations with any phrase or phrase you might need utilized in an entry that can assist 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 referred to 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 depart the entry date because the day you wrote the entry. The Second Date choice lets you see a chronological timeline of occasions as they occurred, reasonably than whenever you documented them.
If you’re utilizing the Second Date reasonably 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 may have visited, how typically you have written in a given time interval, and your longest writing streak or writing hole may 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 file an audio diary entry, reasonably than writing it out, through the use of the brand new Document 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 Dwelling Display screen and Lock Display screen widgets. These provide writing prompts, and the flexibility to begin a brand new entry proper from there.
Examples of Journal widgets for the lock display (left) and residential display (proper).
For the Dwelling Display screen, Journal can add Streaks and New Entry widgets. The Streaks widget exhibits your present streak if you’re in a single, or your previous day by day or weekly streaks — relying on how typically you make new entries.
If you happen to faucet on the widget, it’ll open the Journal app to the Insights web page for extra data.
The New Entry widget will present a random writing immediate on the Dwelling 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 accessible for the Journal app. These permit for direct entry to the brand new options, comparable to audio recording, selecting an image, shortly including a State of Thoughts standing, or images, or location data.
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 beneath the time show.
From there, choose considered one of pre-existing Apple widgets, or scroll down via via the record of apps to see their widgets. Faucet one so as to add it, after which faucet Finished to exit the lock display enhancing mode.
What’s extra, customers can count on extra to come back 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 comparable to summarizing lengthy entries, or serving to you rewrite an entry with a selected tone in thoughts.
These enhancements and enhancements ought to entice extra customers to maintain and recurrently 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 flexibility to dictate entries and add media make it simpler to construct your journal from wherever.