According to 9to5Mac, Apple’s Journal app, which first debuted exclusively on the iPhone back in 2023, has now expanded to the iPad and Mac with the releases of iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. The author, who has been journaling for years, states that the iPhone-only limitation was a major hurdle, as they prefer to write on a larger screen with a physical keyboard. Key new features in this expansion include full Apple Pencil support for handwriting and sketches, a new Map View to see entries by location, and the crucial addition of support for creating multiple journals to organize entries. The writer has been using the app daily on their M5 iPad Pro, finding that the iPad form factor finally makes the app practical for serious, reflective writing.
Why the iPad matters
Here’s the thing: a journaling app being stuck on a phone is basically a non-starter for anyone who wants to write more than a quick sentence. The 9to5Mac piece nails it—you can’t process deep thoughts on a tiny glass keyboard. The move to iPad, and specifically the support for a physical keyboard and the Apple Pencil, transforms Journal from a neat novelty into a legitimate tool. It’s the difference between jotting down a note and actually composing an entry. This feels like the app’s true launch, two years late. And the Pencil support is a killer feature they didn’t really have on iPhone; sketching or handwriting a journal entry is a completely different, more personal experience than typing.
The real upgrade is organization
But the bigger story than just screen size might be the new organizational features. Map View sounds like a gimmick, but for anyone who travels or even just has a rich local life, it’s a brilliant way to rediscover old entries. It attaches a physical memory to a written one. And multiple journals? That’s the feature power users have been begging for. Without it, a digital journal becomes a single, massive, daunting scroll. Now you can have one for work thoughts, one for personal reflection, one for gratitude lists—it finally acknowledges that our minds aren’t monolithic. This is what turns an app from a simple notepad into a long-term thinking companion.
The suggestion engine secret sauce
It’s worth remembering that Journal’s core advantage over any other notes app is its deep iOS integration. The suggestion feature, which pulls in recent photos, workouts, music, and locations, is its unique selling proposition. On the iPad, with that bigger canvas, those suggestions could become even more visual and impactful. The app isn’t just giving you a blank page; it’s proactively trying to jog your memory about what mattered in your day. That’s a huge help for beating “blank page syndrome.” The question is, will Apple now leverage the iPad’s multitasking capabilities? Could you drag a photo from Photos directly into a Journal entry? That seems like the next logical step.
A niche but perfect fit
Look, journaling isn’t for everyone. But for those who do it, the tools matter. Apple’s Journal app was always promising, but it felt incomplete on the iPhone. With iPadOS 26, it finally feels like a professional-grade, first-party application. It’s a niche use case, sure, but it’s one where the iPad’s form factor is absolutely perfect. If you’ve been curious about Journal but hated the phone interface, now’s the time to give it a real shot. The barrier to entry is finally gone. You can follow more from 9to5Mac on Twitter or check out their YouTube channel for deeper dives.
