Despite what people say on Facebook and TikTok, Apple doesn’t want to share your diary entries with strangers.
After Apple rolled out its latest iOS software update in late February, users noticed an automatic download of Journal, the new app Apple announced in December 2023. The app is designed to be like a digital diary, with the option for users to pin locations. and upload photos along with their writings as well as journal writing and reflection prompts.
However, iPhone users on social media began to raise alarms about the application by sharing warnings about the application’s default settings. In a widely shared statement (“copypasta”) copied and pasted on social media, people claimed that the “Discoverable by Others” feature in the Journal app’s settings “will let anyone near you know your full name and exactly where you are.” you have geographic location.”
No, the iPhone Journal app will not provide your personal information
One of the things the Journal app does is use Bluetooth to provide curated ideas for the “Journalling Tips” section. Suggestions are for Diary users who experience writer’s block or want prompts in their entries. instead of dabbling in freelance writing.
Suggestions include the user’s Activity (workouts and exercise), Media (podcasts and music), Contacts (people regularly messaged or called), Photos (from iPhone photo library and shared photos), and Highlights (repeated locations or points you’ve spent) . most time). By analyzing these fields, Journal is able to produce overly specific entry prompts.
“Discoverable by Others,” a feature enabled by default in the Journal app, retrieves the number of devices you have nearby, as well as saved contacts you’ve come within Bluetooth range of. However, it does not record any details about people or people you are close to on your phone or disclose any of your information to anyone else.
Essentially, this is similar to the AirDrop feature that allows nearby users to share information wirelessly. As with AirDrop, any sharing must be “approved” by the recipient.
The goal is actually for Journal to have an idea of what you did that day. If you were near a registered contact, perhaps you were with friends that day (Journal won’t know or share exactly which contact you were with, but will recognize that you spent time with “one of your contacts”). If you’re surrounded by a bunch of other devices at some point, the app can show that you’re out and about doing something that day rather than home alone. With this information, Journal can provide prompts for you to write about your day.
Apple writes on its site that Journaling Tips are written to “help you remember and reflect on your experiences.” Information gleaned from Bluetooth is stored on the person’s iPhone and is not shared with Apple.
Journal does not share your personal information (name or location) with anyone.
Misinformation about iPhone app security isn’t new
The backlash and fear are reminiscent of reactions to another misunderstood feature of the Apple iPhone: NameDrop.
Launched in September 2023, NameDrop is similar to the AirDrop feature, where iPhone users can exchange basic data with each other as long as their devices are nearby. AirDrop is used to share and receive photos and documents; NameDrop allows users to share each other’s contact information without having to hand the device to the other person and enter the information themselves.
Warnings spread on social media; people claimed that the feature “allows your contact information to be shared by simply bringing your phones closer together,” adding that parents should “consider changing these settings after the update on your kids’ phones.” Keep them safe.”
Apple reiterated that for NameDrop to work, both devices must be unlocked and “within a few centimeters away” from each other, and users must tap the “Share” button to complete the exchange. If two iPhones are close to each other, no contact information is automatically shared.
How to turn off ‘Discoverable by Others’ feature in iPhone Journal app?
Users can control whether they can be found by other Journal app users by disabling the feature.
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To turn it off, go to “Settings” and then “Privacy and Security.” Click “Logging Suggestions” and turn off “Discoverable by Others”.
Users can also turn off Journal’s ability to use the number of nearby devices and people to develop writing suggestions.
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Go to “Settings” and then “Privacy and Security”. Click “Journalling Suggestions,” then tap “Prefer Suggestions with Others.”
However, turning both features off will cause Journaling Suggestions to not be as accurate or specific when providing prompts.
Other privacy concerns with the Journal app
On Apple’s Journal Entry Recommendations and Privacy page, the company emphasizes that Journal entries are encrypted when the iPhone is locked and are also encrypted and stored in the user’s iCloud. There’s no specific denial that Apple collects data from Journal, but much of the data used in Journal (for example, the user’s photos and location) is already on their iPhone.
In addition to encryption, users can also enable secondary authentication to open the Journal app and lock the app with iPhone passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID.