Today we’re excited to introduce Shared Journals in Day One, a new way for you to safely share life’s moments with friends and family, while upholding the privacy and security you trust.
Shared Journals are now available for iPhone and iPad (version 2024.2), Android (in beta, version 2024.2), and on Day One on the web.
What are Shared Journals?
Shared Journals are a private space for your closest friends and family to shared life updates and memories. Shared Journals introduce a new dimension to journaling, offering a unique way to share your personal stories and experiences with up to 30 selected individuals, while keeping your individual entries private and secure.
Shared Journals are available with Day One Premium. Those you invite can access your Shared Journal with a free account.
Here are a few more important details to know about Shared Journals:
Creative Uses of Shared Journals
Shared Journals are perfect for a variety of uses, whether it’s for family connections or within small friend groups. Here are just a few creative ideas for how to use Shared Journals:
- Family Memory Books: Preserve and pass down cherished family moments with a digital family memory book. A Shared Journal can become a digital family heirloom where members contribute memories, photos, and stories. This ongoing family history project is especially valuable for families spread across different locations. At the end, you can use Day One book printing (available for iOS) to print and share your family’s Shared Journal, with each member getting a copy.
- Collaborative Travel Journal: Create a travel journal where each participant adds their own stories, photos, and tips from different locations they visit. This can be an excellent way for friends or family members to share their travel experiences in real-time, creating a rich, multi-perspective diary of their adventures.
- Wellness and Support Groups: Shared Journals can be used for wellness initiatives, like fitness challenges, mental health support groups, or mindfulness practices. Participants can log their progress, share tips, encourage each other, and discuss challenges and successes, creating a supportive community.
- Couples Journal: In this Shared Journal, couples can embark on a journey of documenting their life together. It starts with recounting shared memories—from first dates to big life events—each partner adding their own perspective to these important moments. Couples can also use this space for regular reflections on their relationship, expressing gratitude, exploring challenges, and celebrating milestones.
- Personal Growth and Mentorship Journal: This Shared Journal can serve as a unique way for individuals working with a therapist, coach, or mentor. Each participant can use it to document their personal growth journey, set goals, and reflect on their experiences and learnings. The therapist or mentor can provide guidance, feedback, and encouragement directly in the journal. This format can be especially useful for tracking progress over time, discussing challenges, and celebrating achievements.
A Note on Privacy and Security for Shared Journals
Privacy is the literal foundation upon which Day One is built. Shared Journals were built with your privacy and security in mind.
- Shared Journals are powered by the same military-grade end-to-end encryption technology as your other Day One journals, ensuring your shared space is a safe space.
- Share freely with the assurance that your journal is only visible to the people you invite.
Keep in mind that members of a Shared Journal will be able to view, save, and even export all entries in a Shared Journal, so it’s important to only invite individuals you trust.
Additionally, consider the sensitivity of the content you share, as once it’s viewed by others, it’s outside your control. Be mindful of personal information and sensitive topics in shared entries. Remember, the security of the journal relies not only on technology but also on the discretion of its owners and members.
We know you may have more questions and concerns about the privacy and security of Shared Journals, so we put together some specific Shared Journal Privacy FAQs here.
Getting Started with Shared Journals in Day One
To get started with Shared Journals, you’ll need a Day One Premium account, along with either:
- An iPhone or iPad using Day One (version 2024.2 or higher)
- An Android device using Day One (version 2024.2 or higher)* currently in beta
- A device with internet access if using Day One on the web
1. Tap the upper left menu in Day One.
This menu will reveal several options for your Day One journal, including a new “Shared” section for Shared Journals.
2. Tap “New Shared Journal”
Under the new “Shared” section of the journal drawer, tap “New Shared Journal.”
3. Give your Shared Journal a name and description, then tap “Create.”
Customize your new Shared Journal by giving it a name and describing its purpose. Since other people will also be using this journal, make sure the title and description are clear, inviting, and reflective of the shared experience or theme of the journal.
Note: From here, you can also apply advanced options like concealing the content from your journal, sorting options, and options for hiding the Shared Journal from “On This Day,” “Today,” or in Streaks. Advanced options also give you the ability to turn off auto-adding your location to Shared Journal entries.
4. Add members to your Shared Journal.
On the next screen, you can add members through a unique invite ink. Tap the copy icon, then share this invite link to approve up to 29 additional members. Shared Journals can include up to 30 members (including the owner). Just note that the link expires in 14 days.
5. Approve member requests.
After sharing invite links to your journal, you’ll still be able to approve and decline member requests. You’ll see these journal requests in a new notifications menu item in the journal menu.
6. Start writing!
To start your first entry in your new Shared Journal, tap the “+” icon. Remember, your private and Shared Journals are always kept separate, so you always know when you’re sharing an entry.
Once you’ve published your first Shared Journal entry, it will show up in the Timeline view for the Shared Journal. The Timeline view will show the date of the entry, the entry’s author name, a preview of any media added to the entry, along with any reactions and a comment count for entries.
7. Share your comments and reactions.
Shared Journals allow you to comment and react to entries. Add your comments to engage in conversations, provide feedback, or simply express your thoughts and feelings about an entry. Reactions are a quick and easy way to show your appreciation or emotional response.
8. Reflect, revisit, and continue adding new entries.
Finally, beyond just creating initial entries, plan to regularly contribute new moments and stories to your Shared Journal. This ongoing process of adding new entries, coupled with revisiting past ones, will enrich your collective journaling.
Download Day One Now
Whether it’s capturing family milestones, collaborating on travel diaries, or supporting each other through wellness journeys, Shared Journals bring your stories and memories closer to those who matter most. With a commitment to privacy and security, we invite you to explore this new realm of journaling.
Start your journey with Shared Journals today and bring your shared memories to life. Download Day One and embrace a new era of connected journaling.
Get access to Shared Journals today with Day One Premium. Those you invite can access your Shared Journal with a free account.
Shared Journals FAQs
What are Shared Journals?
Shared Journals are a new type of journal in Day One that allows you to invite others to view, comment, or add entries of their own to a Shared Journal. Day One Premium users can create unlimited Shared Journals, and anyone they invite can view, comment, or add entries to a Shared Journal for free.
Why would I want to share my journal? It’s private!
Journals, by nature, are intimate spaces to process thoughts, feelings, experiences, and ideas. Choosing to share your journal or keep it private is a personal decision. There are various reasons to consider sharing a journal, as well as strong reasons to keep it private.
Over the years, we’ve heard from a lot of Day One users who would like to be able to share one of their journals with a spouse or family, a small circle of friends, or a therapist, teacher, or mentor. So, Shared Journals are a new Day One feature to bridge this gap.
Are Shared Journals secure?
Shared journals have all the same protections as your Day One personal journals. The only people who can access a Shared Journal are the people you invite to them. All Shared Journals are end-to-end encrypted. Even Day One can’t access your journal or any content within your journals.
How can I be sure I won’t accidentally share something that was meant to be private?
We’ve designed Shared Journals so it will be obvious to you when you’re about to share something that others might see. For example, when you’re creating a new entry in a Shared Journal, you’ll see a banner indicating the people who will see it. When you move an entry into a shared journal, you’ll see a warning message asking you to confirm the action first.
Do I need a Premium membership to share a journal?
Yes, you need a Day One Premium membership to create and share a journal with others. However, others can participate in your Shared Journal for free without a Premium membership.
Can I share a single journal entry?
Only journal entries created in a Shared Journal can be shared, and only with those that you invite to the Shared Journal. Journal entries in your personal journals aren’t shareable, but you can copy the journal entry into a Shared Journal in order to share.
Can I share or publish a journal entry to the web?
No, Shared Journals only allow sharing within Day One, not to the web. Those you invite to a Shared Journal will need to have a free Day One account to access the Shared Journal.
Will my Shared Journal be available on all my devices?
Yes, if you are a Premium member, your shared journals will sync across your devices just like personal journals do. Right now, Shared Journals are available for iPhone, iPad, Android (in beta), and Day One on the Web. Here’s a comparison chart of the Shared Journals features supported by each platform.
Are Shared Journals available in Day One on Mac?
There is not a way to see those within the Mac app at this time as they are not yet supported. Shared Journals will be added to the Mac app in a future update.
Which of the Day One apps support Shared Journals?
Right now, you can use Shared Journals on Day One for iPhone, iPad, Android (in beta), and on Day One for the web. Here’s a comparison chart of the Shared Journals features supported by each platform.
How many people can I share my journal with?
Right now, Shared Journals can have 30 members (including the owner).
What can I share in my Shared Journal?
You can share anything you would add to a regular journal. As a Premium member, you can type or add unlimited photos, videos, audio recordings, drawings, and files. If you’re a free member, you can add entries, photos, and videos to your entries. You can also add comments and reactions to shared entries. Even if you’re a free member, you’ll be able to open everything that everyone else shares with you in a Shared Journal – photos, videos, audio, and all. Everything you add to a Shared Journal is end-to-end encrypted.
Can I convert my Personal Journals or Existing Journals into a Shared Journal?
No, existing personal journals cannot be directly converted into a Shared Journal. However, there are steps you can take to share your journal entries with others, such as copying or moving entries from a personal journal into a new Shared Journal.
How many Shared Journals can I have?
If you’re Premium, you can create as many Shared Journals as you want! If you’re a free user, you can’t create Shared Journals, but there is no limit to the number of Shared Journals you can be invited to.
Will I ever see ads in Shared Journals?
Absolutely not! We’ll never show ads in your journals. Day One will always be an ad-free, private space.
What if I invited someone to my Shared Journal but now I’ve changed my mind?
As the owner of a Shared Journal, you can remove someone from your journal at any time. You can also withdraw from a Shared Journal at any time.
How can I share feedback on Shared Journals?
We’d love to know what you think about Shared Journals. Please share your feedback here.
Can multiple people edit an entry in a Shared Journal
Entries in a shared journal can only be edited by the shared journal member who created the entry. Journal participants can comment on entries, but not edit the content of an entry they did not create.
Are shared journals are encrypted?
Yes, your shared journals are protected by encryption. Only users you have invited to your Journal can decrypt and see the contents of the entries. The key for decrypting each shared Journal is unique and will be different from your personal Day One encryption key.
