iOS 18 Brings New Insights, Widgets, and Health Integration to Apple's Journal App

iOS 18 introduces a host of new features for the iPhone’s Journal app, including an all-new insights view, advanced search and sort functionalities, and integration with the Health app.

ios 18 journal app
The all-new insights view offers a comprehensive overview of journaling activities. This includes tracking writing streaks, displaying a calendar with existing entries, and providing fun statistics that encourage users to write more frequently.

The updated Journal app now includes advanced search and sort functionalities. Users can easily locate specific entries and organize their journal for easier accessibility.

Time spent journaling can now be recorded as mindful minutes and users can log their state of mind directly within the Journal app.

Apple has introduced new widgets for the Journal app, available on both the Home Screen and Lock Screen. These widgets allow users to quickly start a new entry, view their current streaks, and receive writing prompts throughout the day.

The Journal app also gains automatic transcription for audio recordings, allowing users to capture their thoughts and ideas verbally, with the app converting spoken words into text entries.

The app now supports exporting of journal entries, allowing users to save entries offline or share them in printed form.

The Journal app made its debut on the ‌iPhone‌ in December 2023, but it remains unavailable in iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
iphone 17 cyber

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC. Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

Motawa Avatar
20 months ago
and how is it still not on the Mac?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DC Wallaby Avatar
20 months ago
Until they make an iPadOS or macOS version, I’m going to continue dismissing the notifications I get from this app throughout the day. I want to use this simple little journaling app, I want it to have the deep system integration, etc., etc., but I want to be able to type my entries with a keyboard rather than on a cramped phone screen.

Now, if I find this whole iPhone-mirroring Continuity feature in macOS Sequoia to be useful, maybe that will be a suitable workaround for the time being. But I’d much prefer they just make an iPad version of the app, which they should have done from the get-go anyway.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
O.N.Y.X Avatar
20 months ago

The Journal app made its debut on the iPhone in December 2023, but it remains unavailable in iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.
… so, it has been and still is useless because of this restriction.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jamescharley22 Avatar
20 months ago
Was really, really, really looking forward to iPad and Mac availability but I understand iPhone is using on-device querying to generate Suggestions. But what about anything my iPad and I have experienced that my phone hasn’t? Why isn’t iCloud good enough to sync Journal(s) and Suggestions but it’s good enough for my Health data??? I don’t know :/

I would have really loved to have folders, groups, Shelves, or whatever you wanna coin it just to differentiate types of journals. Primary Journal/Diary, maybe separate them, Dream Journal, “Whimsy Log, Wish Diary, Poems, and Stream-of-Consciousness Travel Log” (“Vacation Movie” reference). My point is having a dedicated place to dump all these things is really great but maybe we would benefit from grouping if we don’t get cross-platform availability and syncing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dizbuster Avatar
20 months ago
If only I could import my Day One entries…not sure if that’ll ever become available.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chicago19 Avatar
20 months ago
I have honestly been waiting for the MacOS and iPad versions. I don't want to journal on my Iphone. I would like to use a proper keyboard.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)