The privacy feature for the Journal app on iPhones running iOS 17.2 and later, which is marked as “Discoverable by others” under “Journaling suggestions,” allows strangers to track your name and location.
On December 11, 2023, Apple released its iOS 17.2 update for iPhones. That new software update came with the launch of a new private diary app that the company called Journal. As often happens with new or updated electronic devices and features, the launch fueled unsubstantiated rumors warning that the app posed serious privacy and/or security risks to users.
“Journal, a new iPhone app available today, helps users reflect on and practice gratitude through journaling, which has been shown to improve well-being,” the company said in a statement. “With Journal, users can record and write about everyday moments and special events in their lives, and include photos, videos, audio, locations and more to create rich memories. Machine learning on the device provides private, personalized suggestions to inspire journal entries and customizable notifications help users develop their writing habits.”
On January 2, 2024, the official Apple Support YouTube channel released a video showing how iPhone users can easily get started with the new app.
Included in the Diary app is the ability to receive suggestions for entries to write about, as mentioned in the video above. For users who have installed iOS 17.2 or later, these types of suggestions are listed under Settings > Privacy & Security > Logging Suggestions. These include activity (your workout and exercises), media (podcasts and music you listen to), contacts (people you text and call), photos (library, memories, and shared photos), and notable locations (places you spend time). These five settings are enabled by default.
Users who write their private entries in the Diary can also receive suggestions related to people who were near them during the day. Two such settings are Prefer Suggestions with Others, which includes “moments you share with your contacts or large groups,” and Discoverable by Others, which is described as “[allowing] others to detect you’re nearby to help prioritize their suggestions.” These two settings are also enabled by default.
Top and bottom of suggestion settings.
As for the latter setting, it was discovered by others in February 2024 that it became the subject of a viral rumor on Facebook. Searching Facebook for the words “Journaling Suggestions” there was no shortage of frightened users warning their friends about the supposed threat posed by the privacy setting.
These users typically shared an image that displayed the following text:
WARNING. If you have an iPhone, this is important! After my last update a new feature was downloaded called “Logging” and it’s under “Settings” “Privacy & Security” then scroll down and there’s a new “feature” called “Logging Suggestions” . Look for the “DISCOVERED BY OTHERS” switch. I bet it’s on and lets everyone near you know your FULL NAME and EXACTLY where you are geographically located. Go TURN IT OFF!! I am writing all this. This is a big mess. Share with your friends if they have an iPhone. Very scary stuff!! DOG … CHECK YOUR IPHONE.
However, this Facebook rumor was false. This is nothing more than the latest rumor about the iPhone’s privacy settings that has led to a long scroll of commenters saying they will turn off the setting “just for security.”
Just two inches above the same toggle for discovery by others that so many users choose to manually disable, Apple included a link to more information on a page called “Journaling Suggestions & Privacy.”
On that page, Apple stated that the proposals for the Journal app use Bluetooth – a short-range communication method. Also, technology “[detects] the number of devices and contacts around you without storing which of these specific contacts were nearby.” In other words, there was no indication that strangers would be allowed to see a person’s name or track a person’s location.
The page read as follows:
People nearby
Journaling suggestions may also use contextual information to determine which suggestions may be more meaningful or relevant to you. The logging suggestions use Bluetooth to detect the number of devices and contacts around you without storing which of these specific contacts were nearby. This information is used to improve and prioritize your suggestions. It is stored on the device and not shared with Apple. You can choose not to let Journaling Suggestions use the number of devices and contacts around you to prioritize suggestions by going to Settings > Privacy & security > Journaling Suggestions, then tap to turn off Prioritize suggestions with others.
You can also control whether your contacts include you in their nearby contacts by going to Settings > Privacy & security > Journal suggestions, then tap to turn off Visible by others. If you disable Visible by Others and choose not to be included in counting your contacts, Prioritize Suggestions with Others will also be disabled and Journaling Suggestions will not detect how many devices and contacts are around you in order to improve or prioritize your suggestions.
Snopes has emailed Apple 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 the iPhone, privacy, and a misunderstood feature.