Urgent Feedback and Concerns About Day One’s App Future
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As a long-time user of Day One since 2016 and a premium subscriber in recent years, I have always valued the app for its role in my journaling journey. However, I am writing to express my growing disappointment with recent updates, services, and specific shortcomings that have significantly affected my user experience.
- Stagnation in Features and Updates
When I first started using Day One, it was a standout in the journaling space. However, since being acquired by Automattic, the updates feel increasingly lackluster, primarily focusing on UI changes without substantial improvements to the journaling process. Day One has long been an Apple-centric app, yet it lags in adopting key Apple ecosystem features. New features are uninspired, leaving long-time users like me disappointed.
- Unreasonable Photo Processing Workflow
One of my most significant concerns is Day One’s inefficient photo handling process. This issue has been raised by other users on the official forums, yet no improvements have been made.
- Storage Inefficiency: The app converts HDR HEIC photos to JPG, doubling the file size (e.g., a 2.4MB HEIC photo becomes 4.8MB in JPG format) while simultaneously losing HDR data. This results in poorer-quality images occupying more storage space, which is particularly problematic for users with extensive journals. I know user can choose to save the original photo and video to DayOne cloud and keep the optimizied data in local, but it’s bad for users like me who wants to check my past on the plane, which is offline. The fundamental way to solve the storage issue is to keep the original HEIC photo and don’t convert it.
- Lack of Options: Day One transfer from saving compressed photo to full-resolution photo back in 2018, but it does not offer users the flexibility to choose between saving compressed or full-resolution images. Such an option would help manage storage space or preserve image quality.
- Limited Privacy Features: Day One has not adopted iOS’s latest “private photo access” feature, which allows apps to access only selected photos rather than requiring full photo library access. For an app that prioritizes privacy, failing to implement this functionality feels like a significant oversight.
- Lack of Live Photo support: Live Photo is a great feature that can help people memorize the moment compared to still photo. Competing apps, including Apple’s own Journal app, have already incorporated these features, making Day One feel increasingly outdated.
3. Neglected Feedback on Critical Functionality
Despite providing feedback on several critical issues over the years, I have seen little to no meaningful progress. For example:
- Search Functionality: Searching for keywords currently redirects users to the beginning of a journal entry without highlighting the term or navigating to its location. This makes finding specific content in long entries extremely tedious. Basic search enhancements should be a priority for any text-based application.
- GPS Localization for Chinese Users: The ongoing issue with GPS coordinate discrepancies for users in China has persisted since Day One’s launch. Despite numerous complaints, no viable solution or formal explanation has been provided in over a decade, leaving me, as a Chinese user, feeling overlooked.
In an increasingly competitive market, stagnation equals regression. With new and improved journaling apps emerging, and Apple’s Journal app gaining traction, Day One risks being left behind. If meaningful improvements are not made, I am seriously considering migrating my data to other platforms in 2025.
As a long-time advocate for Day One, it saddens me to write this. However, I believe that constructive feedback can drive positive change. I sincerely hope the team takes these concerns to heart and works to restore Day One to its former glory.
A Day One User Since 2016
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+1
I add the book printing feature which is very (very) limited and not usable for me, including photos layout and management.
Having a journal for years and not being able to print it in a fair way is not acceptable anymore. -
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My only experience with Day One is on the Windows platform, so I can’t speak to these Apple-centric functions. I started experimenting with the Windows app as soon as it came out and after a short time switched my daily journaling to Day One from another app. I quickly noticed that the Windows version lacks even the most basic features of the iOS and Mac versions. After the decision to use Day One for my journaling journey, I was hopeful that such missing features would be quickly implemented. After several months that’s not the case, but I was still hopeful that in time more would come.
After reading this – and similar posts – concerning the Apple centered platforms I’m concerned that this won’t be the case. Will I as a new Windows user be writing similar messages in the future? Did I make the switch to Day One too soon?
Day One team, please convince me this is not so.
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Hi @f4yzh685jx!
Thanks for the feedback and suggestions.
We have forwarded them all over to the team for future consideration.
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Please keep in mind, the Windows, and Web apps were just released and are still in beta. Day One has been in development on iOS and Mac since 2012. Development takes time, and it will take time to bring more features to Windows and Web.
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