Is Your Journal App Private? A 9-Question Checklist

A journal holds things you would not post anywhere. The word “private” appears on the store page of almost every journal app, and it can mean very different things. In one app it means a lock screen. In another it means that nobody but you can decrypt the entries.

The nine questions below work for any journal or diary app, including one you already use. Most answers are in three places: the store listing, the privacy policy and the app’s settings.

1. Do you need an account?

An account links the journal to your identity. Usually it also means your entries are stored with that account on a server. That is not wrong in itself, since syncing between devices needs it, but your entries then exist in two places, and you control only one of them.

Check whether you have to sign up before the first entry, and what the account is used for.

2. Where are entries stored, and are they encrypted there?

There are three common answers: only on the device, on the device and a server, or mainly on a server. Then ask about encryption, which comes in different kinds:

On the device: protects the entries if someone copies the phone’s storage.
In transit: protects them only while they travel to a server.
End-to-end: the server stores only what it cannot read.

“Encrypted” on its own tells you little. Look for which of these the app describes.

3. What do the store privacy labels say?

The App Store shows an App Privacy section for every app, and Google Play shows a Data safety section. Look for categories such as user content, identifiers and usage data, and whether they are linked to you.

These labels are declarations by the developer, not audits. They are still worth reading, because the developer is responsible for what they say.

4. Are there ads, analytics or tracking?

Ads in a journal app usually mean an advertising library inside it, and such libraries typically collect device information. Analytics tell the developer how you use the app. Even when that is harmless, it is still data leaving the phone.

Read the privacy policy for “third parties” and “partners”, and note what is shared with them.

5. Can the developer read your entries?

This is the most direct question, and the privacy policy should answer it plainly. If entries sit on a server without end-to-end encryption, the technical answer is yes, even if the policy promises they will not look. The same applies to features that send your text to a server for processing.

6. How do you back up and move to a new phone?

Privacy and safety pull in opposite directions here. A copy on a server is convenient but less private. A diary kept only on the phone is private, but the backups are up to you.

Look for an encrypted backup, a clear way to restore it on a new phone, and a plain statement of what happens if the phone is lost.

7. What happens if you forget the password?

If you can reset it by email, the password protected the app, not the data. If no reset exists, the password is most likely part of the encryption. Neither answer is wrong, but you should know which one applies before you write anything important.

8. What can you export, and is the export encrypted?

Export is how you leave an app, or keep a copy you can read without it. Check which formats are offered and whether the whole journal can be exported. Exported documents are usually not encrypted. They are only as private as the place you keep them.

9. Does it count your streaks?

This is not strictly about data, but it is about being watched. Streaks, badges and scores mean the app keeps a record of when and how often you write, and uses it to nudge you. Some people like that. If you do not, check before you start.

Two quick tests on your own phone

Permissions. A request for the camera or microphone makes sense when you add a photo or a voice note. A request for contacts or location from a journal deserves a question.
Airplane mode. Turn it on and write an entry. If the app refuses to work, it depends on a server.

In TAEONIA

Here is how TAEONIA answers the same nine questions.

Question	TAEONIA
Account	None. No sign-up, no email.
Storage	Only on the phone, in an encrypted database. The keys live in the device’s system key store, and the PIN takes part in the encryption.
Data collection	The app collects no data. The diary has no network client of its own, and the Android build does not ask for internet access.
Ads and analytics	None, and no third-party data SDKs. TAEONIA Horizon purchases are handled by the App Store or Google Play; your entries are never part of them.
Can we read it	No. We cannot read your diary, because it never reaches us.
Backup and moving	An encrypted backup with a 25-character recovery code, shown once. Manual backups and moving to a new phone are free; automatic backups are part of Horizon.
Forgotten PIN	The PIN and the recovery code cannot be reset. Without a backup and its code, the entries cannot be recovered.
Export	Markdown and Word are free; the PDF book is part of Horizon. Exports are not encrypted.
Streaks	None, and no badges or scores. A writing reminder comes only if you turn it on.

Photo metadata such as location and EXIF data is removed before a photo is stored. A Privacy screen in the app shows what the app says about itself and how to check it.

One limit applies to TAEONIA as to any app: encryption does not protect against someone who has your unlocked phone and knows your PIN.

Coming soonGoogle Play

Coming soon to Google Play. iOS 16+ · Android 10+