A TikToker has warned that Apple’s new ‘Journal’ feature is not what it seems, with your data controversially used to inspire other people’s diary writing
Whether you’re Bridget Jones or an average Joe, writing a diary may seem like the epitome of self-care – but one TikToker warns that making this a habit could have dangerous consequences for iPhone users.
Wellness guru Kelly Sites took to the platform to voice her concerns over Apple’s new ‘Journal’ app which launched as a part of the tech giant’s iOS 17.2 update.
The nifty tool allows users to schedule time to ‘reflect on life’s moments’, with the ability to add photos and tag locations, before locking it away from prying eyes. Users can also make use of various ‘gratitude’ and ‘kindness’ prompts, based on personal phone habits and history.
Albeit pleasant at the surface, Kelly claims she stumbled upon something in her phone’s ‘Settings’ that made her feel uneasy.
In a video posted to her TikTok account (@kellysites), she said: “I thought this was one of the most alarming things as a female and an iPhone user that I just recently discovered, that I sent to my sisters. And I decided to make a video here – which is not my normal content – but it felt scary enough that I feel like I should.
“So, you know how Apple just put on our iPhones recently the journaling app? It’s obviously geared towards women and at first I was like great, cool – I love this. Apparently, it makes you discoverable by people around you.
“That to me feels like such a security risk and a safety risk as a woman to just have this automatically be put on my phone in the Settings updated.”
Kelly is referring to a section of an iPhone’s Settings which shows that users are ‘Discoverable by Others’ when using the Journal app. This means that other nearby iPhone users can detect your device using Bluetooth, with the data then used to improve their own Journal prompts alongside other tools like personal activity and media use.
This is isn’t the first time Apple has come under fire for its location features, with last year marked by a chilling rise in AirTag stalking just two years after their launch. The tracking devices, designed to locate lost luggage and keys, were branded a ‘gift to abusers’, with many using them to follow ex-girlfriends and even children.
Kelly certainly wasn’t alone in her concerns about the Journal app, as alarm bells have also been raised by Jake Moore, a Global Cybersecurity Advisor at ESET. He told The Mirror: “What is extremely worrying is that this feature is on by default – even if users never turned on suggestions – and other more serious provisions such as Stolen Device Protection remains off – which helps protect your device and accounts if it is stolen.
“This also highlights simply how much your phone and Apple knows about you even though the Journal entries are encrypted. But like with AirDrop, iPhone users can exchange their Journal with nearby users who have Bluetooth switched on, but only after allowing necessary permissions.”
If you’d like to switch off this feature for yourself, Kelly explains that you should head to your iPhone ‘Settings’ and click on the ‘Privacy & Security’ tab. From here, users can scroll down to the ‘Journaling Suggestions’ tab before clicking on it.
A toggle labelled ‘Discoverable by Others’ will be viewable here. Tapping this will change it from green to grey, effectively turning it off.
While Apple has been approached for comment, a spokesperson recently wrote on the firm’s website: “Journaling suggestions are created on your iPhone using on‑device processing, and you control what types of data you want to include.
“With the ability to lock your journal and iCloud syncing using end-to-end encryption, your entries stay up to date and no one but you can access your journal — not even Apple.”
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