Support, Annie Daily Journal App
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About Annie
Annie Daily Journal is the fastest and most private way to keep a daily journal. It works in three tiers: a Nano Journal (2 seconds — just tap a mood), a Micro Journal (quick notes, photos, and tags throughout your day), and a full Journal (under 5 minutes — Annie weaves your day's entries into a first draft that's 80% done, you finish it in your own words). Use whichever tier fits the moment. Journals are personal — AI removes the blank page, you bring the story.
Your journal text data stays on your device and, when iCloud is available, in your private iCloud account. Photo image files are stored on the device where they were added in the current version. There are no Annie accounts to create, no analytics SDKs, and no advertising networks.
Three journaling tiers — all optional:
Tier
What it is
Time needed
Nano Journal
A mood tap (and optional tags)
2–5 seconds
Micro Journal
Quick notes and photos throughout your day
10–30 seconds each
Journal
Annie turns your day's entries into a first draft — you edit it
Under 5 minutes
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Frequently Asked Questions
iCloud Sync
Does Annie sync across my devices?
Yes. If you are signed into iCloud, Annie automatically syncs your journal text data to your private CloudKit container (iCloud.com.seneschal.Annie-Daily-Journal). This can include entries, moods, tags, notes, recaps, photo filenames, and photo descriptions. Only your Apple Account can access this data — the developer has no ability to read it.
I installed Annie on a second device and my entries aren't showing up yet. What's wrong?
This can be normal. When iCloud downloads your journal history to a new device for the first time, it can take a few minutes depending on how many entries you have and your network conditions. Open Annie and leave it foregrounded for a few minutes. On Mac, you can also press ⌘R to refresh the current view.
Does Annie sync my photos across devices?
The actual photo image files are stored locally in the app's private App Group container and are not synced via CloudKit in version 1.0. Other devices may know that a photo entry exists, but the image itself remains on the device where you captured or selected it.
What happens if I'm not signed into iCloud?
The app works normally in local-only mode. All your entries are saved on-device. If you sign into iCloud later, existing entries will begin syncing automatically.
Does Annie work with Apple Watch?
Yes. The Apple Watch app is focused on quick capture: logging a mood or dictating a Micro Journal moment. The watch sends those captures to the iPhone app using WatchConnectivity, and the watch complication can open directly to dictation.
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Places & Location
Can Annie remember where a moment happened?
Yes, if you enable it. Go to Settings → Places and choose Off, Approximate, or Precise for new Micro Journal moments. The default is Off.
Does Annie track me in the background?
No. Annie uses while-in-use location only. It can save a single place snapshot when you add a new text, dictated, or photo Micro Journal moment. It does not run background location tracking or build live route history.
What happens if I choose Precise but iOS only allows approximate location?
Annie respects the system setting and saves approximate place data. The Settings copy will reflect that iOS is sharing approximate location.
Can I remove or rename a saved place?
Yes. Saved place chips appear on Micro Journal moments. Tap a chip to give that location a private label, such as Home or Work; Annie reuses that label for matching saved places. Use the chip remove control/context menu to remove the place from that one moment.
Does the Apple Watch save places?
Watch dictation sends text and a timestamp to the paired iPhone. If Places is on and the fresh Watch entry reaches the iPhone soon enough, Annie makes one short phone-side capture attempt and attaches that place to the moment. It does not keep location running while waiting for Watch entries; if the entry arrives later or the short capture is unavailable, the entry stays valid without a place.
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Notifications & Reminders
How do I set up a daily reminder?
Open Settings (tap the gear icon) and enable the reminder toggle. You can set the reminder time to any hour you prefer. The default is 8:00 PM.
How do I change my reminder time?
Go to Settings → Reminder Time, then use the time picker to select a new hour and minute. The change takes effect immediately.
How do I turn off reminders entirely?
Go to Settings and toggle the reminder switch off. All scheduled notifications will be cancelled.
Annie's notifications aren't appearing. What should I check?
Make sure you granted notification permission during onboarding. If you denied it, go to Settings → Annie Daily Journal → Notifications (iPhone/iPad) or System Settings → Notifications → Annie Daily Journal (Mac) and enable them.
Confirm the reminder is toggled on in Annie's Settings screen.
Make sure Focus or Do Not Disturb is not blocking Annie's notifications.
Can I log my mood directly from a notification?
Yes. The daily reminder notification includes quick-action buttons (Good / Baseline / Low by default, or your customized labels) that log your mood instantly without opening the app.
Are Annie's notifications local or push-based?
Local only. Annie schedules reminders entirely on your device using Apple's UserNotifications framework. No push servers or external services are involved.
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Home Screen Widget
How do I add the Annie widget to my home screen?
Long-press any empty space on your home screen → tap the + button in the top left → search for "Annie" → choose the small or medium widget size → tap "Add Widget."
What does the widget do?
If no mood is set today: The widget shows "How are you?" with four mood buttons (Low, Baseline, Calm, Good by default). Tapping a button logs your mood instantly without opening the app.
If a mood is already set: The widget shows your current mood emoji and label.
Tapping the widget background opens Annie directly to Today's entry.
The medium widget also shows your streak, a compact 7-day mood trend, and shortcuts for Dictate and Type.
The widget isn't updating after I log a mood. What should I do?
Widget refreshes are managed by iOS. After logging a mood, the widget should update within a few seconds. If it appears stuck, remove and re-add the widget from your home screen. Make sure Annie has background app refresh enabled in Settings → Annie Daily Journal → Background App Refresh (iPhone/iPad only — widgets are not available on Mac).
The widget shows "How are you?" even though I already logged my mood in the app.
This can happen if the widget and the main app temporarily get out of sync. Open Annie once to let the app write its latest data, then wait for the widget to refresh. If the problem persists, remove and re-add the widget.
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First Draft Assistant (Apple Intelligence)
What is the First Draft Assistant?
After you've captured micro-journal moments throughout the day, tap Build First Draft in the Journal section. Apple Intelligence reads your notes, mood, tags, and any photo descriptions and writes a starting point. The idea is that journals are personal: if AI wrote your journal perfectly, it wouldn't be your journal. The draft removes the blank page; you edit it to make it yours.
What devices and iOS versions support First Draft Assistant?
First Draft Assistant requires:
iOS/iPadOS 26.0 or later, or macOS 26.0 or later
Apple Intelligence enabled on your device (Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri)
A device that supports Apple Intelligence
If your device doesn't meet these requirements, the Build First Draft button will not appear.
Does Apple Intelligence send my journal to Apple's servers?
No. All language model inference runs entirely on your device using Apple's FoundationModels framework. Your journal content never leaves your device during generation.
I have a supported device but the Build First Draft button doesn't appear.
Make sure Apple Intelligence is enabled in Settings → Apple Intelligence & Siri. The button appears only when the day's entry has micro-journal content for Annie to use. If Apple Intelligence was just enabled, its on-device models may still be downloading.
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Weekly and Monthly Recaps
What are recaps?
The Calendar view includes Weekly Recap and Monthly Recap options. Annie can read selected days or weeks and create an editable recap draft using Apple Intelligence.
Can I choose what goes into a recap?
Yes. Before generating, you can include or exclude the days or weeks Annie will read.
Are recaps automatic?
No. You choose when to create or regenerate a recap, and you must save it before it becomes part of your journal data.
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In-App Purchase & Trial
Is Annie free?
Annie offers one 7-day free trial with full access to every feature. The trial begins only after you tap Start 7-Day Trial and confirm the free trial product through the App Store. After the trial, one lifetime purchase unlocks Annie permanently with no subscription, automatic charge, or recurring fee. The U.S. base price is $9.99, and the App Store shows your local price before confirmation. One-tap Nano Journal mood logging remains available without the lifetime unlock. Family Sharing is included with the lifetime unlock.
Does deleting and reinstalling Annie start a new trial?
No. The free trial is a signed, non-consumable App Store transaction. Annie uses that transaction's original purchase date together with an encrypted, synchronizable Keychain cache and monotonic clock floor. Reinstalling the app, or installing it on another supported device with the same Apple Account, does not provide another 7-day trial.
I already purchased Annie. How do I restore my purchase on a new device?
Go to Settings → Restore Purchase inside the app. Annie will check your App Store entitlements and unlock the app automatically. Make sure you're signed into the same Apple Account that made the original purchase.
My trial expired before I could purchase. Can I still buy it?
Yes. Tap "Unlock Annie" from the paywall screen that appears when the trial expires. It is a one-time payment that unlocks the app permanently. The U.S. base price is $9.99; the App Store shows your local price before confirmation.
I was charged but the app still shows the paywall.
Tap "Restore Purchase" in Settings. If the problem persists, contact support with the exact error message and your device and OS version. Do not send your Apple Account password or a full App Store receipt.
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Data Export
Can I export my journal entries?
Yes. Go to Settings → Data to access export options:
Export JSON — a .json file containing entry data: date, mood, mood value, tags, micro-journal text, moment timestamps, photo descriptions, optional saved place metadata, notes, and timestamps. Photo image files, recaps, mood preferences, and standalone custom tag definitions are not included.
Export PDF — a formatted, human-readable PDF of your entries for a date range you select. If a local photo file is available on the device, it can appear in the PDF.
Both exports are generated entirely on your device and shared via the system share sheet. You decide where the file goes.
Can I import my Annie JSON backup?
Yes. Go to Settings → Import JSON and select a .json file previously exported from Annie. Entries whose date already exists and already contains user data are skipped — existing data is never overwritten.
Can I share my calendar progress?
Yes. In Calendar, use Share Your Month or Share Your Year to generate an image of your journaling progress and share it with the system share sheet.
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Deleting Your Data
How do I delete a single micro-journal moment?
Swipe left on a text or photo moment, or use its context menu, then choose Delete. Annie shows an undo toast for a few seconds. For photo moments, the image file is deleted after the undo window expires.
How do I delete all my journal entries?
Go to Settings → Delete All Data. You'll be asked to confirm before anything is deleted. This removes journal entries, including saved place metadata attached to those entries, from the SwiftData store and clears local private place labels. Some related local data, such as photo files, custom tags, mood preferences, and recaps, may remain until the app is deleted or a future cleanup update expands this command. To also remove synced iCloud data, see below.
How do I delete my iCloud data?
On your iPhone, go to Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Manage Account Storage → Annie Daily Journal → Delete Data. This removes the data from Apple's servers. Note that this will also remove it from any other devices synced to the same iCloud account.
What happens when I delete the app?
Deleting Annie removes the local database and all stored photos from your device. Your iCloud data remains in your CloudKit container until you delete it manually (see above).
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Privacy
Does Annie collect any analytics or usage data?
No. Annie contains no analytics SDKs, advertising networks, crash reporters, developer-operated data servers, or third-party data processors. Annie relies on Apple system services for private CloudKit sync, StoreKit purchase verification, on-device speech and intelligence, and optional Apple Maps reverse-geocoding when Places is enabled. These services are governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
Where can I read the full privacy policy?
The full Privacy Policy is available at https://www.seneschalapps.com/annie-daily-journal/annie-daily-journal-privacy-policy.
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Contact & Feedback
Have a question not answered here, found a bug, or want to suggest a feature? Fill out the form below.