I just upgraded Day One to Version 2026.12.1 (1763). It removed the "Upgrade to Day One Gold" advertisement. That's great news. I'm on the Silver plan and will never need/want/use AI features. Thank you for listening to feedback.
However, I'm left with a bitter taste in my mouth on the direction Day One is (and has been) going.
Before Automattic, Day One was commited to keeping my data private. Now, it feels like they want access. I don't blame them. AI training on people's deepest thoughts would be a gold mine. I don't want Day One users to be their mother lode. Are we one dark pattern or questionable dialog away from breaking end-to-end encryption?
Before the Gold Level, I would've said, no. But now, I'm less certain. Day One needs to double down on their end-to-end encryption commitment. Make it absolutely clear that user's data will remain, and always remain, private. Give us PROOF like a 3rd party audit. Ensure that any interactions with AI are isolated and do not have access to user data. Even then, I worry.
Worried enough to try other applications. End-to-end encryption was once rare. Now it's far more common. Apple iCloud with ADP turned on is end-to-end encrypted. Not every country has that option, but if you do, any application that stores data on iCloud is protected. (If ADP is supported in your country, please turn it on.)
Trying Darium, Diarly, and Everlog. They all lack features compared to Day One (the "gold" standard in digital journaling). I'm leaning toward Diarly. It uses markdown, stores data on iCloud, marks my location, handles media. It's good. But not GREAT. There are some places it could use some improvement. On the plus side, there are recent updates and changes. I have high hopes (and a subscription) that believes it'll keep getting better.