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

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

by

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

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
Read Full Article • 43 comments
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...
Read Full Article • 29 comments
ipad mini 7 blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Thursday May 14, 2026 5:08 am PDT by
According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code...
Read Full Article • 87 comments

Top Rated Comments

M
Motawa
25 months ago
and how is it still not on the Mac?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
DC Wallaby
25 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)
jamescharley22 Avatar
jamescharley22
25 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)
O.N.Y.X Avatar
O.N.Y.X
25 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)
D
Dizbuster
25 months ago
If only I could import my Day One entries…not sure if that’ll ever become available.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jamescharley22 Avatar
jamescharley22
25 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.
Or Journal on iPad could feature optional Grids & Lines from Notes so Pencil users could write, Scribble, or draw in their journal entry!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments