During the WWDC 2025 keynote, Apple announced the upcoming expansion of its native Journal app to the iPad and Mac, alongside the release of iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26. This move will bring a range of new features to Apple's ecosystem, enhancing the journaling experience for users.

The Journal app, initially launched in 2023 with iOS 17.2, is designed to help users document their thoughts and daily experiences. While previously only available on the iPhone, the app's expansion to more devices marks a natural progression in its development.

Enhanced Experience Across Devices

On the iPad, Journal will now support the Apple Pencil, enabling users to include handwritten notes, sketches, and drawings in their entries. Additionally, users can insert photos, audio clips, and other media to enrich their daily logs. The larger screen and multitasking capabilities of the iPad are expected to significantly enhance the journaling experience.

Mac users will benefit from the efficiency of a physical keyboard, offering a seamless way to type entries compared to the iPhone's on-screen keyboard. The app will also support multiple journals for different themes or life events, all synchronised across Apple devices via iCloud.

Privacy, Organisation, and Personalisation

Journal entries will be end-to-end encrypted and securely stored on iCloud, ensuring privacy. To enhance content security, entries can be locked using Touch ID or Face ID, depending on the device in use.

The app introduces features like a location-based map view of entries, the ability to bookmark moments, and advanced filters for searching past logs based on criteria like photos, locations, and fitness activities.

Powered by on-device machine learning, Journal provides intelligent prompts tailored to each user's recent activity to encourage consistent journaling habits.