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 power to print particular person entries, and extra. The largest new addition to Journal in iOS 18, although, is the arrival of search and kind 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 quite a lot of standards. When tapped, this can present any latest searches, in addition to classes one can filter the search time by, akin 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 images, audio, or movies included. Different classes embrace “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 may freely combine and match issues like Temper and Locations with any phrase or phrase you might need utilized in an entry that will help you discover it.

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 methodology 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 permits you to see a chronological timeline of occasions as they occurred, moderately than if you documented them.

In case you are utilizing the Second Date moderately than the day you wrote the entry, the Second Date might 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 visited, how typically you’ve got 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 report an audio diary entry, moderately than writing it out, through the use of the brand new Report button.

As soon as recorded, consumer might 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 House Display and Lock Display widgets. These supply writing prompts, and the power to start out a brand new entry proper from there.

Examples of Journal widgets for the lock display screen (left) and residential display screen (proper).

For the House Display, Journal can add Streaks and New Entry widgets. The Streaks widget exhibits your present streak if you’re in a single, or your previous each day or weekly streaks — relying on how typically you make new entries.

Should you faucet on the widget, it can open the Journal app to the Insights web page for extra data.

The New Entry widget will present a random writing immediate on the House Display. Tapping on a immediate will take you on to the New Entry web page within the app.

There are additionally Lock Display widgets accessible for the Journal app. These enable for direct entry to the brand new options, akin to audio recording, selecting an image, rapidly including a State of Thoughts standing, or images, or location data.

So as to add one of many Journal widgets to the Lock Display, faucet and maintain the Lock Display, and faucet the Customise button. Select the Lock Display, then faucet “App Widgets,” which seems straight under the time show.

From there, choose certainly one of pre-existing Apple widgets, or scroll down by means of by means of the listing of apps to see their widgets. Faucet one so as to add it, after which faucet Performed to exit the lock display screen enhancing mode.

What’s extra, customers can anticipate 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. In case you have a qualifying iPhone, such because the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 16 fashions, Apple Intelligence will supply options akin 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 often 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.