How to Use the Journal App on Your iPhone

For a long time, if you wanted to journal on your iPhone, you needed a third-party app. But Apple finally took charge and rolled out the Journal app with the iOS 17.2 update. And here’s how to use the Journal app on your iPhone.

With a new app comes a new set of features and functionalities. And the Apple Journal app is no different. You can write, schedule, lock, bookmark, and do much more with the Journal app. Let’s dive in and look at all the features and how to use them.

Create a Journal Entry

Apple has made the Journal app simple and frictionless so that you can easily pick up the habit of journaling on your iPhone. Here is how to easily create an entry in the Journal app on your iPhone.

Get Journal for iPhone

Method 1: Create a Blank Entry

Step 1: Open the Journal app on your iPhone and tap on the big button.

Step 2: Tap New Entry.

Step 3: Write an entry and tap Done to save it in the Journal app.

Method 2: Create Entries From Photos/Music Library

Step 1: Open the Photos app on your iPhone and tap Select.

Step 2: Tap Select and select the photos you wish to add to the journal entry. Now, tap the Share button.

Tip: If you want to add a song to a journal entry, open the song in the Apple Music Library and tap Share.

Step 3: Tap the Journal app icon to create an entry with the selected images.

Step 4: Type in the journal entry and tap Save. And that’s it.

Method 3: Add an Entry With Media, Songs, Locations, or Workouts

Step 1: Launch the Journal app and tap the button.

Step 2: On the suggestions page, tap and switch to the Recent tab.

Step 3: Tap on the workout/media/song to open it in the full screen.

Step 4: Swipe and check (uncheck) the items you wish to add to your journal entry and tap Start Writing.

Step 5: Type your thoughts and tap on the bottom bar to add additional items to the entry that the Journal app did not suggest. For example, I’m tapping the camera icon.

Step 6: Tap the capture button.

Step 7: Tap Use Photo.

Step 8: Tap Done to save the journal entry. And that’s it.

Turn Journaling Suggestion on or Off

The suggestions that you see in the Journal app while creating an entry are private and stored on-device. However, if you don’t find these suggestions helpful, Apple lets you turn them off for good. Here’s how.

Note: Turning off Journaling Suggestions won’t show suggestions on the suggestions page. But the suggestions page will still be there with generic reflections in it. If you want to remove the suggestions page completely while creating a new entry, go to Settings > Journal > turn on Skip Journaling Suggestions.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap Privacy & Security.

Step 2: Scroll down and tap Journaling Suggestions.

Step 3: Turn off all the toggles on this page to stop the suggestions in the Journal app.

Edit or Change the Date of a Journal Entry

When creating a new entry, the Journal app, by default, sets the current date as the date for that entry. However, the Journal app lets you change the contents and date of an entry whenever you want it. Let’s look at the simple steps.

Step 1: Launch the Journal app and tap the kebab menu (three dots) next to the entry you wish to edit or change the date.

Step 2: Tap Edit from the menu.

Step 3: Now, edit the entry and tap the kebab menu.

Step 4: From here, tap and choose Moment Date or Custom Date. For example, I’m tapping on Custom Date.

Step 5: Tap and select a date from the date picker and hit Done.

Also Read: Apple Journal vs. Day One: Which journaling app is better

How to Bookmark and Filter Journal Entries

Whether it’s a physical or digital journal, we like to bookmark our favorite entries to reflect on. Apple’s Journal app also lets you bookmark the entries. Later, you can filter all the bookmarked entries in one go to revisit them. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open the Journal app, scroll to the entry you wish to bookmark, and swipe right on it.

Step 2: Tap the bookmark icon. (Or continue swiping right, and the entry will get bookmarked.)

Step 3: Now, tap the filter icon and tap Bookmarked to view all the bookmarked entries.

To go back to all entries, repeat the steps and select All Entries.

Step 4: If you want to remove the bookmark from an entry, tap the kebab menu next to the entry.

Step 5: Tap Remove Bookmark.

Lock the Journal App on Your iPhone

If you are a frequent journal writer, leaving it open can cause privacy issues when you hand your iPhone to others. Fortunately, Apple lets you lock the Journal app and set a timeout for it. Let’s look at the steps to do so.

Step 1: Open the Settings app, scroll to the Journal, and tap on it.

Step 2: Tap Lock Journal.

Step 3: Enter your iPhone’s passcode.

Step 4: Turn on the toggle for Lock and tap on the Require Passcode option.

Step 5: Tap and select the desired timeout option for locking the Journal app on your iPhone. Once done, tap Back.

Schedule a Time to Write in the Journal App

The Journal app on your iPhone can also send you reminder notifications to write periodically. You can customize your journaling schedule in the Settings app. Here are the simple steps to take.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap Journal.

Step 2: Tap Journaling Schedule.

Step 3: Tap and turn on the Schedule toggle. After that, tap and select the days you wish to be reminded.

Step 4: Tap on the time and pick a time.

Step 5: Hit back to save the settings and go back.

And when the date and time come, you should see a suggestion like this in your Notification Center.

FAQs Related to Journal App on iPhone

1. How to get the Journal app on your iPhone?

You can download the Journal app on your iPhone from the App Store. But note that your iPhone should run on iOS 17.2 or later.

2. Do the photos and videos in Journal entries count against iCloud storage?

Yes, they do. The more photos and videos you store in your journal entries, the more they will appear in the iCloud Manage Storage settings on your iPhone.

Practice Mindfulness

Journaling is a great way to practice gratitude and mindfulness daily. And with the help of the Journal app, you can create an excellent habit of journaling digitally. Compared to the other journal apps, the suggestions and recommendations inside the Apple Journal app ensure the least friction to start with.

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