by Demand:
A privacy feature for the Journal app on iPhone devices with iOS 17.2 and later labeled “Available to Others” under “Journal Recommendations” allows strangers to track your name and location.
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On December 11, 2023, Apple released its iOS 17.2 update for iPhone devices. That fresh software update came with the launch of a new private diary app the company named Journal. As is often the case with new or updated electronic devices and features, the launch sparked unfounded rumors warning that the app presented serious privacy and/or security hazards to users.
“Journal, a new iPhone app available today, helps users express and practice gratitude through journaling, which has been shown to improve well-being,” the company’s announcement read. “With Journal, users can capture and write about everyday moments and special events in their lives, and include photos, videos, audio recordings, locations and more to create rich memories. Machine learning on the device provides private, personalized recommendations to encourage journal entries and customizable notifications help users develop their writing habits.”
On January 2, 2024, the official YouTube channel for Apple Support posted a video showing how iPhone users can easily get started with the new app.
Included with the Journal app is the ability to get suggestions for entries to write about, as the video above mentions. For users with iOS 17.2 or later installed, those types of recommendations are listed under Settings > Privacy and Security > Journaling Recommendations. They include Activity (your training and exercise), Media (podcasts and the music you listen to), Contacts (people you message and call), Photos (your library, memories and photos you share) and Places of Interest (places you spend time). These five settings are enabled by default.
Users who write their private entries in the Journal can also receive recommendations related to people who were close to them during the day. Two such settings are Best Recommended by Others, which includes “moments you share with your contacts or large groups,” and Discoverable by Others, which is described as “[allowing] others will detect your proximity to help prioritize their recommendations.” Both of these settings are also enabled by default.
Top and bottom of the recommendation settings.
The last settlement, Discoverable by Others, in February 2024 became a viral rumor on Facebook. A search of Facebook for the words “Recommended Magazines” turned up no shortage of alarmed users warning their friends about the purported threat of the privacy setting.
Those users often shared an image that displayed the following text:
NOTICE. If you have an iPhone, this is important! After my last update, I downloaded a new feature called “Journal,” and it’s under “Settings,” “Privacy and Security” and then scroll all the way down and there’s a new “feature” called “Suggestions Magazines.” Look for the “DISCOVERABLE BY OTHERS” toggle. I promise it’s toggled to ON, and it’s letting anyone near you know your FULL NAME and exactly where you’re geo located. Go toggle that OFF!! I’m typing all this. This is messed up big time. Share with your friends if they have an iPhone. Very scary stuff!! PSA … CHECK YOUR IPHONES.
However, this Facebook rumor turned out to be false. This was just the latest rumor about iPhone privacy settings to lead a long scroll of commenters to say they’re going to turn off the setting “just to be safe.”
Just two inches above the same Discoverable by Others toggle that so many users were choosing to manually disable it, Apple included a link that led to more information on a page called “Journaling Suggestions & Privacy.”
On that page, Apple specified that recommendations for the Journal app use Bluetooth – a short-range communication method. Also, the technology “[detects] the number of devices and contacts around you without storing which one of these particular contacts was around.” In other words, there was no indication that strangers would be allowed to see a person’s name or track a person’s location.
Read the page as follows:
People nearby
Journal Recommendations can also use contextual information to determine which recommendations may be more meaningful or relevant to you. Journaling Suggestions uses Bluetooth to detect the number of devices and contacts around you without storing which of these specific contacts you were around. This information is used to improve and prioritize your recommendations. It is stored on a device, and is not shared with Apple. You can choose not to allow Journal Recommendations to use the number of devices and contacts around you to prioritize your recommendations by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Journal Recommendations, then tap to Option Turn off Recommendations to Others.
You can also control whether your contacts include you in their nearby contact count by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Journaling Suggestions, then tap to turn off Findable by Others. If you disable Available by Others and choose not to be included in your contact count, Suggestions by Others option will also be disabled and Journaling Suggestions will not detect how many devices and contacts are around you to improve or add your suggestions in order of priority.
Snopes has emailed Apple to ask about this rumor and will update this story if we hear back.
For further reading, we previously reported on a very similar social media scare that also involved iPhones, a privacy and misunderstanding feature.
Sources:
“Apple launches App Journal, a new app to reflect on everyday moments.” Apple Newsroom11 Dec. 2023, https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/12/apple-launches-journal-app-a-new-app-for-reflecting-on-everyday-moments/ .
“How to Use Magazine on Your iPhone.” YouTubeApple Support, 2 Jan. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EtNDO-JDME.
msgstr “Legal – Journalism Recommendations & Privacy – Apple.” Apple legalhttps://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/data/en/journaling-suggestions/.
McRae. “Hands With the New Journal App in the iOS 17.2 Beta.” MacRumors Forums26 Oct. 2023, https://www.macrumors.com/2023/10/26/ios-17-2-journal-app-hands-on/.
Peterson, Jake. “Don’t Worry, Apple’s Magazine App Probably Isn’t a Privacy Nightmare.” Rescue tractor29 Feb. 2024, https://lifehacker.com/tech/apples-journal-app-discoverable-by-others.
Whitney, Lance. “Write It Out: How to Use Apple’s Magazine App in iOS 17.” PCMAG15 Dec. 2023, https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/use-apple-journal-app-iphone-write-it-out.
