# AriCore — Your models. Your device. > Local large language model runner with privacy-focused features and desktop pairing. (iPhone/iPad app by Alex Sheridan.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aricore/id6762657133 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Alex Sheridan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894946686) - Category: Lifestyle, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 2.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings - Age rating: 17+ - Requires: iOS 26.0 · 144 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-04-21 - Data updated: 2026-08-19 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aricore/id6762657133/reviews.md ## What is AriCore? AriCore runs large language models on your phone. You bring the model file, it runs locally. Nothing leaves the device. If you also use aricode/aridesk on your desktop, you can pair the two and chat from your phone while the desktop does the heavy lifting. The pairing is end-to-end encrypted — the relay server only ever sees ciphertext, and neither end stores messages on anyone else's computer. What you can do with it: Load a GGUF file and chat offline. Llama, Qwen, Mistral, Gemma, whatever you can fit in memory. Quantized 3B–7B models work well on recent iPhones. Bigger models work too if the device has the RAM for it. Connect your own API keys for OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google if you want frontier models without giving your data to a third-party chat app. Keys stay in the iOS Keychain. Pair with aricode desktop to use your existing sessions, approve tool calls, and keep going from the couch. Handy if you run long jobs on a workstation and want to glance at them from the kitchen. Build a self-paced course on anything. The Study tab spins a curriculum from a topic and a goal — lesson plus quiz, with optional cloze, written-answer, and code exercises per session, plus a midpoint and final exam. Tutor chats stay walled off from your personal context — no tool access, no memory writes, no calendar lookups. Finish a course and you get a certificate and a one-tap PDF export of the entire workbook, answers and grades included. Let the model reflect overnight. Dreams (optional) read recent conversations while the device is charging and surface proposals — memories worth keeping, custom skills you'd actually use, persona suggestions, watchers for things you care about. Every proposal is presented for review; nothing applies without your tap. Skills are local tools the model can call — plain markdown plus a small JSON config. Build them by hand or have the model draft one from a description. The skill creator runs in an isolated context so your personal data never leaks into the generated code. Voice mode runs entirely on-device. On-device speech recognition for input, Kokoro TTS for output, no cloud round-trip and no microphone audio ever leaving the phone. Why it exists: Most mobile AI apps are thin clients for somebody's backend. Your prompts sit on their servers, get mined for training, get tied to an account. This one doesn't do any of that. No account. No analytics. No crash reporting that phones home. The code path for "talk to a model" goes from your screen straight to the model — either on this device or over an encrypted tunnel to your own desktop. A few things worth knowing: You provide the models. There's no in-app store or downloader. Drop a .gguf into the Files app under AriCore and it shows up in the model picker. Running a 7B model takes 3–5 seconds to first token on an iPhone 15 Pro. Smaller models are faster. API keys live in the Keychain. The app never sees them after you paste them in unless you re-open the settings. They're not synced anywhere. The desktop pairing requires aricode running on the same network or reachable over Tailscale. Setup is one QR code scan. ## Key features - Local LLM execution - Offline chat capabilities - Desktop pairing with encryption - Custom skill creation - Self-paced learning module - On-device voice mode ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Slate Theme | $1.99 | one-time | | Vellum Theme | $1.99 | one-time | | Ink Theme | $1.99 | one-time | | Solar Hours | $4.99 | one-time | | Linotype Theme | $1.99 | one-time | | Foxglove Theme | $1.99 | one-time | | Verdigris Theme | $1.99 | one-time | | Manuscript Theme | $2.99 | one-time | | Crow Theme | $2.99 | one-time | | Dream Theme | $2.99 | one-time | ## Frequently asked questions about AriCore ### Does AriCore have ads? AriCore is free to download and use and does not contain advertisements. The app focuses on providing a private and uninterrupted user experience for running AI models locally. ### How do I load a model into AriCore? You need to provide your own model files. Drop a .gguf file into the Files app under the AriCore folder, and it will appear in the model picker within the app. ### What devices does AriCore support? AriCore is supported on iPhone and iPad devices. It is designed to run large language models locally, with performance varying based on device specifications. ### What is the age rating for AriCore? AriCore has an age rating of 17+. This is likely due to the advanced nature of AI models and the potential for complex or mature content generation. ### How often is AriCore updated? The latest version of AriCore is 0.5.1, last updated on May 19, 2026. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and support for the application. ### Can I use my own API keys with AriCore? Yes, you can connect your own API keys for services like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google. These keys are securely stored in the iOS Keychain and are not accessible by the app after initial entry. ### What are the benefits of pairing AriCore with a desktop? Pairing with the aricode desktop application allows you to chat from your phone while the desktop handles heavy processing. This connection is end-to-end encrypted, and you can manage existing sessions and approve tool calls remotely. ### What is the Study tab in AriCore? The Study tab allows you to build self-paced courses on any topic. It generates a curriculum with lessons, quizzes, and exercises, culminating in a certificate and PDF export of your workbook. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 0.5.1 — 2026-05-19 Memory hardening, iPad support, UI refresh to make AriCore feel more spacious, community marketplace where users can share their creations for free with other users, dream swipe to dismiss. A bunch of bug fixes, and quality of life improvements. ### 0.5 — 2026-05-18 One mode, this mode can be used with AI or without - take notes, add to-dos and whatever else you could want! ### 0.4.5 — 2026-05-15 Dream theme, solar hours updates, critical bug fixes with tools infinitely hanging. ### 0.4.4 — 2026-05-14 Critical bug fixes ### 0.4.3 — 2026-05-13 Dreaming and Study ## More apps by Alex Sheridan - [AriRoam](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ariroam/id6771599446) - [Nurtli](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nurtli/id6773480459) - [Homeostasis](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/homeostasis/id6777075093) - [Bio-Scry](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bio-scry/id6788542112) - [The Descent](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-descent/id6789555305) All apps by Alex Sheridan: https://appshunter.io/developer/1894946686 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-19.*