Echo provides journal actions to Siri and the Shortcuts app, so you can capture a thought without opening Echo.
Asking Siri
Say what you want done, naming Echo: “Journal this in Echo”, “Append to today’s entry in Echo”, “Search entries in Echo”. Every action that touches entry text requires local-device authentication, so nothing is readable from a locked device.
The actions
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| New Echo Entry | Opens Echo on a fresh entry |
| Create Journal Entry | Writes a new entry without opening the app |
| Append to Today’s Entry | Adds a paragraph to today, starting today’s entry if there isn’t one |
| Update Journal Entry | Changes the title or text of an existing entry |
| Get Journal Entries | Returns recent entries, or a specific day’s |
| Search Journal Entries | Returns entries matching a phrase |
| Open Journal Entry | Opens Echo to one entry |
| Open Echo Lens | Opens a lens, such as On This Day |
| Delete Journal Entries | Permanently deletes entries after confirming; this bypasses Recently Deleted |
Locked entries
Actions that return entries respect your journal lock. A locked entry comes back without its text. You get the date and the fact it exists, not the writing. See Lock your journal.
Why deleting isn’t a voice phrase
Delete Journal Entries bypasses Recently Deleted and cannot be undone. It always confirms, and it is deliberately not one of Echo’s spoken phrases. A misheard request cannot start permanent deletion, so deleting this way is something you build into a shortcut on purpose rather than something you can say by accident.
Automations worth building
- Open Echo Lens set to On This Day, on a morning trigger.
- Append to Today’s Entry on a Home Screen button, so one tap adds a line.
- Create Journal Entry at the end of a workout or a Focus session, with the session details.