We noticed a landslide of updates, additions, and launches at WWDC 2023. Nonetheless, one of many extra compelling life-style additions to iOS 17 is what saved me up final night time.

Journal, to me, is the epitome of Apple’s genius on full show, meshing on a regular basis telephone utilization with wellness, creating seamless connections between apps – and maybe, even tapping into humanity’s near-desperate urge to share in our social media-driven world. 

Presently, there’s been no point out of the app permitting you to share or publish your Journal entries; the truth is, Apple was way more desirous about reassuring us of how non-public and private Journal can be due to end-to-end encryption and on-device processing.

In my opinion, although, Apple has a momentous alternative right here to utterly disrupt the microblogging area; if not, at the least, it’d encourage anyone else to.

If the shoe matches, put on it

This new Journal app additionally is not a large shock, with rumors abuzz since April, and journaling apps are certainly not distinctive to app shops, whether or not on Apple gadgets or among the different finest telephones and finest tablets. 

Having an app like this built-in to the iPhone, nonetheless, could encourage extra folks to take up journaling as an outlet, which was discovered to cut back stress in a 2018 examine from The Pennsylvania State College. Plus, the app genuinely does look distinctive, definitely in the way it stands to capitalize on Apple’s different functions and options. Journal, it appears, might lastly marry the hole between pen-and-paper journaling and digital software program alternate options.

Along with logging your ideas and actions per all types of journalling, the app will use on-device machine studying to create customized prompts, referring to latest exercise in your iPhone from images to exercises and placement knowledge – improbable for these of us that wrestle with author’s block. It is also a wise addition to Apple’s rising well being and wellness app library, providing the chance so as to add commentary to your well-being monitoring.

With this wealth of options, a visually interesting aesthetic, and the present state of the social media panorama, it appears like the one factor lacking is the flexibility to share content material – even when solely with family and friends, for now.

Websites like Twitter and Tumblr thrived in years passed by for offering folks the platform to specific their day-to-day ideas, pursuits, and emotions, usually in bite-size or multimedia posts. Very like among the finest running a blog websites, the recognition of the medium has fizzled over time, and plenty of platforms have transitioned to specializing in very particular audiences and use instances.

Whether or not it is nostalgia or the truth that my handwriting is just too dangerous for pen-and-paper journaling, I miss the previous days of running a blog. All I might assume whereas watching WWDC’s Journal showcase was how cool it will be if sometime, I might shortly pull collectively a shareable journal or weblog entry utilizing images and person knowledge visualized into stunning graphics, categorical my ideas, after which share to my Instagram story a neat little bundle of content material. 

Apple may even make it a gated service just for these utilizing Apple gadgets a la iMessage, which capitalizes on software program FOMO (worry of lacking out) to drive up gross sales – although in fact, my choice can be it creates one thing non-exclusive. 

If you happen to odor what The Fruit is cooking

There is a completely reputable argument that what Apple is admittedly doing right here is one other instance of the “Sherlocking” phenomenon it is turn into fairly infamous for through the years, the place Apple launches options that obviate the presence of in style third-party apps or add-ons, highlighted by the DoJ escalating an antitrust probe towards the corporate following fears of anti-competitive conduct.

Personally, I like the very fact Journal will combine so seamlessly with different iOS apps and the Apple aesthetic, nevertheless it speaks to a doubtlessly bleak future for apps comparable to Day One, which just lately addressed the rumors of Apple Journal in a weblog put up.

The app’s founder, Paul Mayne, highlights the information as a chance for Day One to distinguish itself – and apparently sufficient, mentions shareable journals as a method the staff hopes to take action.

That is the sort of competitors we must be vying for, realistically; however Apple has ringfenced so a lot of its personal apps in a manner that makes it nigh-on not possible for anybody however them to do what they’re doing with Journal. 

It is value mentioning Apple did say it’s going to offer an API for builders that can enable them to leverage Journal’s customized writing ideas in their very own apps, nevertheless it’s unclear what the scope of that is as of but.

For higher or for worst, if the important thing options in Journal are interesting to you, you will be hard-pressed to search out it anyplace else, and regardless of my higher judgment and fears of anti-competition, I can see an thrilling future forward for modern-day journaling if Apple will get this proper.

Remember to take a look at extra of the options coming to iOS 17 in your iPhone – listed below are 10 of the most effective.