I rarely set myself New Year’s resolutions; although, this year, I’m going to try something new—journaling—and to do it, I’m going to use Apple’s new Journal app. Apple launched Journal earlier this month with the release of iOS 17.2....

I rarely set myself New Year’s resolutions; although, this year, I’m going to try something new—journaling—and to do it, I’m going to use Apple’s new Journal app.

Apple launched Journal earlier this month with the release of iOS 17.2. The free journaling app uses on-device machine learning to create prompts and suggestions for entries based on how and where you use your iPhone. For instance, the app recognises when you’ve traveled somewhere new, had phone calls with friends, taken pictures, listened to songs, or recorded fitness activities. It then encourages you to create journal entries based on those experiences.

I’ve never journaled before, and I can’t say I’ve ever really had any desire to do so. However, after trying the Journal app in beta for some time prior to its official release, and after seeing some of the curated machine learning journaling suggestions (which will no doubt improve over time), I feel like now, at the start of a new year, would be a good time to start digital journaling.

I like the idea of creating a time capsule that I can use to look back and reflect on key moments throughout the year, as well as having a space where I can practice gratitude and note down the significant events of the year.

Having rarely set myself New Year’s resolutions, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll need some motivation to keep on track. What I like about the Journal app by Apple, in addition to its use of on-device machine learning, is the reflection prompts. These prompts allow me to create a journaling schedule that will send me notifications on any set day at any set time, reminding me to log entries in my journal.

Let’s see what the year ahead brings. I’m looking forward to trying something new, exploring all that the Journal app has to offer. Like all services from Apple, Journal is built with privacy at its core, which is important for anyone looking to begin journaling. All entries in the Journal app are encrypted. Additionally, users can choose to enable secondary authentication and lock the Journal app with their device passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID.

Here’s to the New Year, and here’s to the start of my digital journaling journey!

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