If you’ve been active on social media platforms like Facebook or TikTok recently, you may have come across claims suggesting that iPhones are using a feature called “Journaling Suggestions” to spy on users.
Some posts, like the one I saw on Facebook, sound alarming, stating that the feature reveals your full name and exact location to nearby individuals. The post urged users to disable the setting immediately as it was portrayed as “Very scary stuff!!”
However, in reality, these claims are not entirely accurate.
The Journaling Suggestions feature was introduced to iPhones with the iOS 17 update last year alongside Apple’s Journal app. To manage this feature, navigate to the Settings app and select Privacy & Security > Journaling Suggestions. Here, you will find options to toggle Prefer Suggestions with Others and Discoverable by Others. The page also lists the data that Journaling Suggestions can access, including activity, media, contacts, photos, and significant locations.
Contrary to social media claims, these features do not make your iPhone visible or disclose your personal information like name and location to strangers.
Within the Journaling Suggestions page, there is a link titled “About Journaling Suggestions & Privacy.” Clicking on this link provides detailed information on how the feature operates, mentioning:
“Journaling Suggestions utilizes on-device processing to intelligently group moments and events, providing personalized suggestions based on the content stored on your device. It can recommend special moments to write about, and you have control over which suggestions are shared with journaling apps using Journaling Suggestions.”
“Journaling Suggestions uses Bluetooth to detect devices and contacts around you without storing specific contact information. This data helps enhance and prioritize your suggestions and is not shared with Apple.”
While Journaling Suggestions utilizes contacts and location information, it does not share personal data with others.
Disabling the Journaling Suggestions feature is harmless, especially if you do not use Apple’s Journal app or other journaling apps that utilize Journaling Suggestions. However, the feature is not maliciously collecting or sharing personal information as some online posts suggest.
Remain vigilant and informed, everyone.
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