iOS 17 to feature a journaling app for mental health purposes, report claims

As we approach WWDC 2023, another report details a new feature we could see with iOS 17. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is planning an iPhone journaling app to expand its Health initiatives.

If a journaling app doesn’t sound weird to you, it is because Apple has featured time and time again Day One, which is an app that lets you track and record your activities and thoughts. According to the report, this is another push for Apple’s growing interest in mental health.

Currently, the codename for Apple’s journaling app that is set to debut with iOS 17 is called Jurassic. The Wall Street Journal says the app is designed to help users keep track of their daily lives. “The app will analyze the users’ behavior to determine what a typical day is like, including how much time is spent at home compared with elsewhere, and whether a certain day included something outside the norm.”

In addition, Apple wants to highlight potential topics for users to write about. It could also have an “All Day People Discovery” feature which would detect users’ physical proximity to other people, such as friends and workmates.

Although that sounds an alarm related to privacy, the publication says this iOS 17 app will use on-device data. The journaling suggestions would remain in the system for four weeks, then be removed – but Apple wouldn’t access it.

This journaling app featuring could help users better understand how they feel during the day. Thanks to the Apple Watch, people can already understand how their sleep is, how working out impact their bodies, and more. Apps like Gentler Streak, for example, use your sleep data to give insights regarding how you feel about working out that day.

iOS 17 is set to be introduced during the WWDC 2023 keynote in June. BGR will bring all the details regarding this and the other operating systems as we learn more about them.