- iPadOS 26 brings the Journal app to iPad
- Journal, previously an iPhone exclusive, offers users a dedicated place for memories and notes
- The iPad version adds Apple Pencil support, as well as a map for adding places to entries
Apple is bringing the Journal app to iPad with iPadOS 26 after two years of iPhone exclusivity.
The Journal app, which already comes preinstalled on all of the best iPhones, will become one of the iPad’s default apps with the upcoming release of iPadOS 26.
Journal for iPad follows much the same format as its iPhone counterpart – it’s a place to store memories, jot down notes, add photos, and, on iPad specifically, write and sketch with Apple Pencil.
Apple’s official press release outlining the new features in iPadOS 26 notes that the app allows users to create multiple journals “for different aspects of life.”
The app also contains a map section, presumably to find and pin locations to Journal entries.
As the press release notes, the Journal app allows users to incorporate “photos, videos, audio recordings, places, their state of mind, and more” into each entry.
Apple hasn’t confirmed this, but given the company’s history, we’d expect Journal entries to sync between iPhone and iPad over iCloud – though we’re not sure how the Apple Pencil functions will translate between the two platforms.
A perfect fit
If you ask me, a version of the Journal app for iPad is overdue. It’s a reflective app that brings together various aspects of one’s day and life, and the large, portable canvas the iPad provides is a natural pairing.
Take a quick scroll through the techier sides of YouTube and you’ll find dozens of videos demonstrating iPad setups that focus on note-taking, minimalism, and mindfulness.
The Journal app gives users an officially supported bit of software at no extra cost to get started with or integrate into their iPad use.
Personally, I can see myself returning to my iPad Pro 2020 for the Journal app – I recently wrote that my 11-inch model has found itself mostly relegated to the role of YouTube machine, but it’d be a perfectly-sized device to carry on my travels as a journal.
And with the Journal app seemingly a specialized notepad and file browser, I’d suggest that it won’t take up too much processing power, which means it could be a great addition to even older or less powerful iPad models.
We don’t have a full list of devices supported by iPadOS 26 yet, but we’d expect the Journal app to come to all of the best iPads. Let us know if you’d use the new Journal app in the comments below.
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