Apple is secretly tracking users through a feature that was enabled by default during an earlier iOS 17 update.
When the Journal app was launched in December 2023, a privacy setting was automatically enabled.
Allows people to interact with your iPhone when they are nearby.
To turn it off, go to the Privacy & Security tab in the Settings folder. Then click on the Journal app. It should say “Discoverable to others”. Disable it.
Users who deleted the Journal app recently noticed that the Discoverable by Others option is still enabled.
But users who deleted the Diary app noticed that the Discoverable by Others option is still enabled even after deleting the app.
The Discoverable by Others feature was activated with the release of iOS 17.2, but Apple fans have only just discovered it and many are in shock.
“This feature allows your iPhone to interact with other nearby iPhones. If you are near another iPhone user, the Journal app will suggest that you log your encounter with that person.”shared an iPhone X user.
Personally, I think this is a privacy issue.
The feature uses Bluetooth to detect nearby devices and provide users with prompts for their journal entry.
“Journal makes it easy to preserve valuable and powerful memories and practice gratitude by intelligently curating personal information from the user, right from their iPhone.”said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, last year.
‘And we’re making it possible for other journaling apps to offer the same personalized suggestions while maintaining the highest level of privacy.’
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The feature can be disabled by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Diary Suggestions
The Discoverable by Others feature was activated with the release of iOS 17.2 earlier this year, but Apple fans have just discovered it and many are in shock.
However, Apple has said the information is stored on an iPhone but is not shared with the tech giant.
Apple’s Diary app also sparked outrage among users when it launched last year after it was discovered that it exploited users’ photos, workout data, recent music listening history and location data to create so-called diary entries.
These capabilities raised privacy concerns and fears about data that could be shared without people’s knowledge.
Ruby Media Group CEO Kristen Ruby was skeptical of X: “I can’t believe no one thinks this Apple Journal is a big deal. Forget ChatGPT. This is on-device machine learning. Of your LIFE. Hey, wake up.”.
The tech expert also reflected on how AI-generated prompts change the nature of journaling and self-reflection by inserting machine learning between a person’s brain and their pen.
“AI will tell you what to type based on a review of your digital history on your device,” Ruby wrote.
“The sacred bond between pen, paper and brain no longer exists when another entity is involved. This forever changes the concept of self-reflection when AI tells you what to reflect on.”.
“I’m so scared about the new Apple Journaling feature”Ruby shared.
However, Apple has assured that Journal is “Built with privacy at its core”.
“All journal entries are end-to-end encrypted when stored in iCloud, so no one except the user can access them.”he explained.
‘Journal suggestions are created on the device and users can choose which suggested moments are shared with the Journal app and added to their Journal entries.’