Journalling Suggestions

One of the most powerful features of Apple’s new Journal app is the suggestions that it’s capable of offering. iOS 17.2 digs deep into other apps like Phone, Messages, Fitness, Photos, Music, and Podcasts, using machine learning algorithms to examine what’s there and suggest things you may want to write about.

For example, it may surface a collection of photos you took at a recent holiday party, identifying them as such, and ask you to share a story about them. Or, you’ll be able to write about recent workouts and how they went or your thoughts on a podcast or playlist you’ve listened to.

However, perhaps the best part of these Journalling Suggestions is that Apple isn’t “Sherlocking” smaller developers by giving its own app an advantage that third-party apps won’t have. Instead, the same Journalling Suggestions will be offered through an API that any iOS developer can take advantage of.

“Journaling Suggestions provides a visual picker interface for iPhone apps. The picker displays personal Moments that occur in someone’s life, such as their workouts and exercise, places they visit, a trip they take, a person they connect with, their photo memory highlights, Photos in their library, a song or podcast they listen to. Only suggestions explicitly added by the user will be shared with an app.”

One of the most popular of these apps, Day One, has already enthusiastically announced plans to support these to provide “an even richer Day One experience.” Hopefully, we’ll see an update on the App Store soon.