Reflectly - Journal/Diary
By Dana Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Examine your day, get inspiration, but premium is pricey.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
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Reflectly - Journal/Diary
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Based on 2 parent reviews
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What’s It About?
To use REFLECTLY - JOURNAL/DIARY, select a username and password, or sign in via Facebook. Choose to sign up for $47.99/year or try the seven-day free trial. Rate your day with an adjustable face emoji, answer some questions, and write some reflections for your day. Next, it asks you an optional question to think more deeply about your day. Then, listen to a daily reflection on a larger topic, such as "doing the small things really great."
Is It Any Good?
This handy journal app does a good job providing questions that get users thinking about the ups and downs of their days, but be prepared to pay for it. Reflectly - Journal/Diary's pre-loaded questions and easy ways to answer via slider bars and by tapping icons are relevant to almost any day, and can be very helpful. The app also encourages users to add photos and their own more in-depth written reflections on their day, but it doesn't make going into detail mandatory to log the day. The motivational messages are the weak link in Reflectly - Journal/Diary. Recording quality is low and tinny and some of the reflections are overloaded with platitudes ("Now is the alchemy of dreams."), which makes it difficult to listen to the end-of-day reflections. The premium version provides a biometric passcode lock for the app, provides new reflections daily, automatic cloud backups, and color themes. But it will cost you ($47.99/year).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Reflectly - Journal/Diary uses motivational quotes and audio messages along with users' own daily reflections. Ask your teen: Can reading or listening to someone else's perspective on the ups and downs of life help you gain perspective on your own? Why or why not?
Read Common Sense Media's parent tips Can Mindfulness Techniques Help My Teen's Tech Stress? to find out how practicing self-awareness (perhaps with tools like this app) may help teens' health and happiness.
Talk about how adding a photo to each day's entry can be a useful feature on this app. A picture of your best (or worst) moment of your day can say 1,000 words.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
- Skills: Self-Direction: motivation, personal growth, self-reflection, Emotional Development: identifying emotions, self-awareness, Communication: multiple forms of expression, Health & Fitness: mental health
- Pricing structure: Free to try (free trial then $47.99/year)
- Release date: July 16, 2018
- Category: Health & Fitness
- Publisher: Reflectly
- Version: 2.2.3
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 10.0 or later; Android 6.0 and up
- Last updated: February 16, 2020
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