After a few days of using Journal, I can confidently say that Day One, the popular journaling app, is not facing an existential threat from Apple’s new entry into the market. While Apple has a history of incorporating features from other apps, Journal still has a long way to go to catch up with Day One, which has been around for over a decade.
Day One’s head, Paul Mayne, sees Apple’s entry into digital journaling as a testament to its growing importance, rather than competition. Day One has a loyal fanbase, and switching to another app may not be worth the trouble. However, this assessment may change once Journal has more features and is available on more platforms.
One of the selling points of Day One is its cross-device functionality and syncing, which is not yet matched by Journal. While Apple has not announced any plans to offer the app on other platforms, it does support iCloud backups for syncing.
The reason behind this limited syncing capability may be the focus on Journal as a multi-media app. It aims to go beyond text journaling by utilizing the iPhone’s capabilities for capturing photos, videos, and voice recordings, as well as location-based services.
As a writer, I initially had reservations about journaling but found it to be a valuable tool for processing my experiences. Writing on a laptop allows for a more frictionless process of getting thoughts down compared to Apple’s vision for Journal, which prioritizes photos, videos, and text.
One of Journal’s unique features is the algorithmically curated writing prompts based on moments from Apple’s ecosystem. While it’s an interesting concept, it remains to be seen how effective it is with more usage. This feature is useful for those who struggle to write daily entries.
In terms of security, Journal includes a passcode lock to protect personal musings from prying eyes. However, compared to more established journaling apps, Journal may seem barebones to some users. It lacks customization options, folders, and tags, and voice recordings do not save as transcriptions.
There is potential for deeper integration with Apple’s ecosystem, such as tying Journal to the new mood logging feature introduced in Apple’s mental health offerings. Notifications for new suggestions could enhance the user experience. It’s still early in Journal’s development, as it is currently only available in the iOS 17.2 public beta. There is room for growth, and Apple will likely receive feedback from passionate journalers, including calls for a Mac version.
