What Untold does well
Untold has been on the App Store since 2023, and its AI goes further than Dawn Light's. Its site describes a long list of AI features built on what you say.
- Optional questions while you journal, to explore a thought from other angles
- Personal insights, with themes and patterns over time
- A library of Perspectives, such as Cognitive Restructuring and Your Dream, Decoded
- Guided journals such as What's My Attachment Style and Win the Week
- Meditations made from your entries, with a choice of narrator and length
- Ask your journal anything, with answers drawn from your entries
- Runs on iOS 16 or later, so it doesn't need an Apple Intelligence iPhone
Where your words go
Untold's privacy policy, effective October 1, 2026, says it may share personal information with third-party generative AI providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Hume. It says it never uses journal data to train AI unless you opt in. Its site says all entries are encrypted. Dawn Light has no server. Apple's speech model transcribes on your device, and Plus runs on Apple Intelligence on your device.
Feature by feature
Checked against Untold's site, privacy policy and US App Store listing on October 17, 2026. Untold updates often, so check its listing before you decide.
| Feature | Untold | Dawn Light |
|---|---|---|
| Download | Free | Free |
| Paid plan, US | Premium $12.99 a month or $107.99 a year | Plus $7.99 a month, $39.99 a year or $119.99 once |
| Voice entries | Yes, speech to text | Yes, any length, free |
| Where speech becomes text | Not stated | On your device |
| Where AI runs | Third-party providers named in its policy | On your device, with Apple Intelligence |
| Questions and insights | Yes, with Perspectives and guided journals | A follow-up question, weekly recap and Ask, with Plus |
| Meditations from your entries | Yes | No |
| Typed entries | Yes, writing mode | Yes |
| Apple Watch | Not listed | Recording, with Plus |
| Minimum iOS | iOS 16 | iOS 26 |
| App Store privacy label | Data linked to you, including User Content | Data Not Collected |
| Export | Yes, its site says you can export | Markdown, JSON and PDF, with recordings and photos |
Who should pick each one
Untold suits people who want an AI to talk back, dig into patterns and offer guided content, and who are fine with cloud processing. It also suits older iPhones. Dawn Light suits people who mainly want to talk and keep every word, privately and for free. Its Plus layer stays on the device and costs less.
Questions about Untold and Dawn Light
Is Untold free?
Untold is free to download. Its US listing sold Untold Premium at $12.99 a month or $107.99 a year on October 17, 2026. Its site doesn't list what the free version includes.
Does Untold send my entries to AI companies?
Untold's privacy policy says it may share personal information with generative AI providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic and Hume. It says those providers may not train on identifiable personal information.
Can I move my Untold entries to Dawn Light?
Not directly. Dawn Light imports Day One and Apple Journal exports today. You can keep your Untold export and start talking in Dawn Light alongside it.
Which one works without a connection?
Dawn Light records and transcribes with no connection after a one-time language download. Untold's policy names online AI providers, so expect its AI features to need a connection.
Sources
Try a voice journal that stays on your phone
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