After missing the launch of iOS 17, Apple finally introduced the Journal app to the iPhone with iOS 17.2 last December. The app was offered as a way to "improve wellbeing" and "help users reflect and practice gratitude through journaling," but nine months later, it remains a somewhat basic proposition compared to the long-standing alternatives available in the App Store.

Apple has already announced some changes to the Journal app in iOS 18, and the company is also evaluating how to introduce the much-touted Apple Intelligence into the app.

Proof of this is a new Apple patent found by The Mac Observer. The patent, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), highlights several ways in which the Journal app may utilize Apple-branded artificial intelligence in the future.

After a week of avid use of the Journal app, our staff writer, Josh Render, left the Journal app. The patent suggests that AI can avoid user apathy by nudging the Journal app to be a bit more proactive when something noteworthy seems to have happened.

For example, if the iPhone notices that you have taken many photos at once in the same location, you might be prompted to journal.

It also appears that Apple may change the way days are recorded, with an interesting new structure like a timeline. According to the image, it will allow users to look back on memorable days in style, with photos and music in between text entries.

If you're struggling for inspiration, Journal could also provide a starting point inspiration with its generative AI. How was your run?" How was the food at that restaurant?" could prompt questions such as "How was your run?" and spark creativity.

The home screen widget also displays the words "What did you enjoy about this day?" The Mac Observer notes that given Apple's privacy-first philosophy, this is more of a prompt to create a new entry than a display of recent memories. (although the screenshot below highlights an existing one, so this may not be the case).

Finally, the Mac Observer notes that some of the photos accompanying the patent appear to show a tablet rather than a phone, suggesting that Apple may be considering bringing the Journal to the iPad in the long run.

It should be noted that these are just patent concepts, not necessarily Apple's immediate plans for the Journal. In fact, when Bloomberg's Mark Gurman summarized the current capabilities and limitations of Apple Intelligence, Journal was not even mentioned.

In fact, what iOS 18 already promises for Journal is far more limited in scope. They are easier navigation, added insights, a mindfulness feature, and the ability to transcribe entries.

But at the very least, the patent is evidence that Apple is thinking about how Journal can be improved in the future, even if it is not one of the main features of iOS 18, which will be released with the iPhone 16.