Questions about One Question

What is One Question?

A journal for iPhone that asks you one question a day. You answer it once, and then it’s sealed. Keep going, and the app starts to see the stretches your life fell into, like a town, a season or a person, and reads them back to you as chapters, named and dated, each opening with your own first line.

On the App Store it’s called One Question a Day Journal.

Why can’t I edit an entry?

So the page keeps the day the way it was. The point isn’t the best answer, it’s an honest one, and one honest sentence is enough. You can still delete an entry, or export everything you’ve written as plain text.

Is my journal private?

Your entries live on your device and sync only through your own iCloud account. There is no One Question server that receives them, so nobody else can read them, the developer included. Chapters, reflections and cover paintings are made on your device.

The app does collect usage analytics, like which screens are opened and which features are used, but they never include your words. The privacy policy has the details.

Does One Question use AI?

Only on your device. With Apple Intelligence on a device that supports it, chapters and reflections are written for you on your iPhone, and Image Playground paints each chapter a cover. Your writing is never sent anywhere to be read. Without Apple Intelligence, chapters and reflections are written plainly, from the facts of your entries.

How much does it cost?

One Question is free to download and free to write in. Writing, moods, places, the map, Memories, Insights and your list of chapters cost nothing.

One Question Pro opens what’s inside each chapter: how it felt, the moments worth finding again, what changed, then and now, and what it all meant. It also opens place chapters, every town month by month, and the rest of Rediscover. Pro is $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year in the US. Prices differ by country, and the app shows yours before you buy.

Pro is an auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account, and it renews unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.

Which devices does it run on?

iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 26.2 or later, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro. On iPhone Duo, Today opens as a two-page spread when you fold it like a book, and as a writing desk when you stand it up like a laptop. There are Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets too.

On Apple Watch you can answer by dictation, mark how you felt, and keep today’s question, your mood and your streak on your watch face.

Which languages does it speak?

English, Chinese (Simplified), Hindi, Spanish, Arabic and French, on every screen, in every notification and widget, and on Apple Watch. Arabic reads right to left. With Apple Intelligence, chapters and reflections are written in your language; in Hindi and Arabic they’re told plainly for now.

Can I bring my entries from Day One, Apple Journal, Journey or Daylio?

Yes. In One Question, tap the gear on Today, then Bring in another journal under Your words.

• Day One: in Day One, open Settings and choose Import/Export, then Export. Pick your journals and choose JSON, which keeps the most: the time, time zone and place of every entry. Save the .zip to Files, then choose it in One Question.
• Apple Journal: in Journal, tap ⋯ at the top of your entries, choose Export, then Export again. Save AppleJournalEntries to Files, then choose the folder or the zip.
• Journey, Daylio and others: export from the app, choosing JSON if it’s offered, or pick your own JSON, CSV, Markdown, text or PDF files. Each entry needs a date, in its own field or in the file’s name, like 2024-05-12.md.

Dates, places, titles and moods come across, so your timeline, map and chapters are full from the first day. Photos don’t come across yet. Changed your mind? You can take an import back in one tap.

Can I export my journal?

Yes, all of it, whenever you like. Tap the gear on Today, then Export everything, for a plain text file of every entry.

Does it sync between my devices?

Yes, through your own iCloud account, when iCloud is on for One Question. Entries are kept in your private iCloud database, which only you can reach. You can turn sync off for the app in iOS Settings.

Does it work with Apple Health?

If you want it to. Turn on Log to Apple Health in Settings, and One Question saves the time you spent writing as Mindful Minutes, and your mood as State of Mind, tagged with what the day was about, like Work or Family. Only those tags reach Health, never your words. One Question doesn’t read anything from Health.

Will it remind me to write?

If you ask it to. Turn on Daily reminder in Settings and choose the time. The reminder brings the day’s question with it.

How do I restore or cancel Pro?

To restore Pro on a new device, open the Pro page from Settings and tap Restore purchases. To cancel, open Settings on your iPhone, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and choose One Question.

Who makes One Question?

Waseef Akhtar, an independent developer. Write to waseef@me.com, or follow along on Instagram.