Apple’s iOS 17.2 beta includes the new Journal app

Apple has released the developer beta of iOS 17.2, and it includes the Journal app, a digital daily diary for users to log their activities.

A feature of the Journal app that’s raised questions is how it uses machine learning to prompt user entries, using data like photos, workouts, location data, and more — perhaps good for people who need a little bit of inspiration. But as my colleague Victoria Song wrote at the time, not all our memories are happy, and it’s not hard to see how an AI-powered prompt machine could go awry.

9to5Mac has more details about features in the Journal app, like the ability to bookmark entries, select writing prompts, and set a journaling schedule to stay consistent. For some people, an AI prompt to log their day might be just the push they need to start keeping a diary. I personally prefer to save random scraps of ephemera from my life and glue it all together once a week in increasingly chaotic ways.

There are several new features introduced in addition to the Journal app, including new playlist options in Apple Music, per 9to5Mac, like collaborative playlists to use with friends and a playlist that automatically collects all the songs you’ve marked as favorites. MacRumors also notes that a feature meant to verify the identity of a person you’re chatting with on iMessage has been introduced. It’s called iMessage Contact Key Verification, and it was first announced at the end of 2022.

With the watchOS 10.2 beta, users will be able to log health data with Siri, while the tvOS 17.2 beta for Apple TV includes a new navigation sidebar to jump between different sections like search, Apple TV Plus, and other streaming platforms you’re subscribed to.