Summary

The author discusses their decision to continue using the Mem app for daily journaling despite the release of Apple's Journal app in iOS 17.2, citing Mem's superior flexibility and feature set.

Abstract

The article titled "The iOS Journal App Is Finally Here (iOS 17.2). Here’s What I Learned." reflects on the author's experience with Apple's new Journal app, which integrates with iPhone data to suggest journaling prompts and reflective questions. While acknowledging the app's minimalist appeal and potential for summarizing one's digital life, the author points out its limitations, such as basic content formatting, lack of sharing capabilities, and inability to search for specific items. In contrast, the author praises their current journaling routine with the Mem app, which offers a detailed template, time log, and the Mem Chat feature for data summaries. Despite the aesthetic appeal of the Journal app's home screen, the author finds it insufficient for their comprehensive journaling needs. They conclude by expressing a preference for Mem's versatility and flexibility, using the Journal app for more personal content like workouts and music preferences, while keeping an eye on future updates from Apple.

Opinions

The author appreciates the concept of the Journal app but finds its current functionality too basic for their detailed journaling habits.
Mem is favored for its ability to document life in detail without overwhelming the user, including morning starter questions, reflective inquiries, and a time log.
The Mem Chat feature is highly regarded for its ability to summarize past activities and data, enhancing the journaling experience.
The Journal app's lack of content sharing and search capabilities is seen as a significant drawback.
The author is curious about future developments of the Journal app and is open to integrating it more if improvements are made, particularly in terms of accessibility across different Apple devices like MacOS.
The author suggests that the Journal app might not be practical for users who do not extensively use their iPhones and recommends other journaling apps like Day One for such cases.

Why I will stick with my daily journal for the time being.

The iOS Journal App Is Finally Here (iOS 17.2). Here’s What I Learned.

Apple’s Journal app didn’t make its debut in iOS 17.0, and even though Apple showcased the latest iOS version at WWDC 2023 back in June, I never expected it to take until November for its beta release.

Now, let me share what I’ve personally discovered and why I’ll continue to use my daily journal on Mem, while keeping the Journal app for other purposes.

What is the Journal app?

By now, you’ve probably heard a lot about the Journal app. In a nutshell, it’s a straightforward, somewhat intelligent application. It delves into the data your iPhone collects about you, like your music, your location history, and your exercise routines, to generate post ideas and also offer reflective questions.

You can also start with a blank post and add content such as photos, voice notes or locations on the go. However, it doesn’t offer much beyond these capabilities. It’s basic and minimalist, which has its appeal, but it comes with limitations. You have only limited content formatting options, and you can’t easily share your entries. You might wonder why you’d want to share your personal journal, but in today’s era of social media, this might be a thing. Additionally, personally prefer to have my entries stored elsewhere too, like in Mem.ai and I’d love the have sharing feature just to get everything out of the Journal app.

So, for now, the Journal app’s restrictions feel somewhat confining.

Nonetheless, I appreciate the idea of summarizing your digital iPhone life. It’s worth noting that if you don’t use your iPhone extensively, the Journal app may not be very practical and there are other great journaling apps like Day One.

My Daily Journaling Routine on Mem

I’m quite meticulous and enjoy documenting my life in great detail without it becoming overwhelming. As a result, I’ve created a simple journal template in Mem, featuring a set of morning starter questions, reflective inquiries for the evening, and a time log in-between. This log allows me to track my day by the minute, noting what I did, what was significant, and what tasks I worked on. It’s a quick and efficient method that aids in recollecting my life later.

Moreover, Mem Chat, a subscription feature, enables me to ask questions about the content I’ve stored. For example, I can ask Mem about my activities on a specific date (as I name each daily journal note according to the date) and it will give me an exact summary. It’s quite remarkable, and after using it for some time, I’m amazed by the wealth of data it provides.

And this is exactly what I am missing here. Granted, the layout of the home screen of the Journal app is beautiful, but I miss being able log my whole day.

Screenshot of the iOS preview / Apple website.

Will I Switch from Mem to Journal?

In short, no. At least not yet and I am not sure many will ditch their beloved (paper) journal to use the app as of now. The minimalistic approach is great (and looks amazing), but it’s just not enough right now.

Mem serves as a versatile note-taking app and I just use it for my daily journaling as well. It offers me more flexibility than Apple’s Journal app. I try using both in tandem right now, with Mem catering to my daily needs and the Journal app for more personal content like workouts and music preferences. However, I’m curious to see what Apple has in store next, as the current Journal app lacks certain functionalities. It’s not even possible to search for specific items, such as when I last played a particular song. This is somewhat underwhelming, and since it’s exclusively available on iPhones, the readability is less than optimal due to the small screens. It should be at least on MacOS to make writing entries easier.

But I’ll keep an eye on its developments.

Hej there! If you find this article insightful and enjoy reading it, consider following me for more content about Apple, Mem.ai, productivity, and the general landscape of AI. Your reading and engagement are greatly appreciated too, as they help me reach a wider audience, enabling others to benefit from my stories and experiences. Thanks for reading and enjoy your day!

Here’s even more to read:

Apple & iPhone

Here’s the Best iPhone 15 Pro Max Case https://readmedium.com/heres-the-best-iphone-15-pro-max-case-01ef2bd56785

Here are Three Amazing Use Cases for the iPhone 15 Action Button

Personally one of the best new features of the iPhone 15 is the Action Button. I know this is a controversial take for…

medium.com

Here’s Why I Ordered The New iMac M3 https://readmedium.com/heres-why-i-ordered-the-new-imac-m3-2023-11fa673996da

Note Taking and AI

Here’s How To Study Better with Mem and Chat https://readmedium.com/heres-how-to-study-better-with-mem-and-chat-0eec6a62d340
How I Use Arc Max to Research Almost Anything https://readmedium.com/how-i-use-arc-max-to-research-almost-anything-c364892c0e89