Local AI chat for iPhone(test build), built on a custom engine

OwnOwl - a private AI chat that runs on your iPhone

OwnOwl runs a large language model entirely on your iPhone. No internet is used for chatting, and your conversations never leave your device. It speaks several languages, remembers facts about you only when you confirm them, and chats in a familiar messenger-style interface.

This is a time-limited TEST build for evaluation only. It stops working after a built-in expiry date. Please read LICENSE.md before you install it. For evaluation and testing only - no commercial use, no redistribution.

What's new in v0.2

• Much faster first reply. The app warms up when it loads and remembers each conversation, so reopening a chat and asking again answers almost instantly instead of re-reading the whole history.

• Answer length & "Continue". Longer answers by default, and a Continue button to extend a reply that reached its length limit.

• Clearer status while answering: thinking… then typing…, with a spinner while the model is thinking.

• Lighter on memory. When you leave the app it frees the model from memory and reloads it when you come back.

• Memory about you. It can remember facts about you - only the ones you confirm - and use them in later answers.

• Stability fixes: no more crashes when the app goes to the background or on long answers; smoother scrolling when you send a message.

Requirements

• An iPhone with 6 GB of RAM or more. This is required. Examples that work: iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 / 14 Plus / 14 Pro / Pro Max, 15 and newer, and iPads with an M1 chip or newer. Phones with 4 GB of RAM (e.g. the regular iPhone 11, 12, 13) are not supported and the larger models will not fit.

• iOS 17 or newer.

• Free storage for the model you choose: about 6 GB (GigaChat), 9 GB (Ling), or 14 GB (Gemma). Download over Wi-Fi.

• A Mac or Windows PC is needed once, to install the app (see below).

Speed depends on the phone. On an iPhone 13 Pro: GigaChat ~7 words/second, Ling ~12, Gemma ~3. Newer phones with 8 GB of RAM are faster.

How to install

Apple does not allow installing an app straight from GitHub. You install the .ipa file from the Releases page with a free tool that signs it with your own Apple ID. The app is not jailbroken and needs no special account. Pick one of the two methods.

Option A - AltStore (recommended; re-signs itself automatically)

• On your computer, install AltServer from https://altstore.io and run it.

• Connect your iPhone by cable, or keep it on the same Wi-Fi as the computer.

• In AltServer, choose Install AltStore onto your iPhone and sign in with your Apple ID (a free account is fine).

• On the iPhone, open Settings → General → VPN & Device Management, tap your Apple ID under Developer App, and tap Trust.

• Download OwnOwl.ipa from the Releases page onto the iPhone (or the computer).

• Open the AltStore app on the iPhone → My Apps → + → pick OwnOwl.ipa.

• Turn on Developer Mode when iOS asks: Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode → On, then restart.

AltStore can refresh the app automatically while your computer is on the same network, so you rarely have to repeat this.

Option B - Sideloadly (one-off install)

• Install Sideloadly from https://sideloadly.io on your Mac or PC and open it.

• Connect the iPhone by cable.

• Drag OwnOwl.ipa into Sideloadly, enter your Apple ID, and click Start.

• On the iPhone: Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → tap your Apple ID → Trust.

• Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode → On, then restart.

The 7-day note (free Apple ID)

Apps signed with a free Apple ID stop opening after 7 days - this is an Apple limit, not OwnOwl. Just reinstall with the same steps; AltStore can do it for you automatically. Your chats and downloaded models stay on the phone.

First launch

• Open OwnOwl. It asks you to pick a model and downloads it from Hugging Face. The download runs in the background (keep the app installed; use Wi-Fi for the big models).

• When it is ready, start chatting. Everything runs on the phone, offline.

• You can add or remove models any time in Settings → Download or delete models.

Privacy

Your chats are processed and stored only on your iPhone. OwnOwl does not send your messages anywhere. The only network use is downloading the model files you choose, from Hugging Face.

Feedback

Found a bug or have an idea? Please open an Issue - measurements from your device (model, phone, speed) are especially welcome.

License & ownership

OwnOwl's app and its on-device inference engine are proprietary and not open source. This repository distributes a test build for evaluation only; see LICENSE.md. Third-party libraries and the AI models have their own licenses - see THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md.

Each test build carries a cryptographic authorship signature and a built-in expiry, which are part of the App's protection and identify its origin.

© 2026 Mihhail (github.com/MiTLN).