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iOS Setup

Run a local AI model on your iPhone with no cloud dependency. This guide covers everything from download to first inference.

Requirements

  • iPhone 12 or newer (A14 Bionic chip or later)
  • iOS 16 or later
  • At least 3GB free storage (for the app + one model)
  • Internet connection for the initial model download only

Step 1 - Install Off Grid

Download from the App Store

The app itself is under 50MB. Models are downloaded separately inside the app.

Step 2 - Download a model

  1. Open Off Grid
  2. Tap Models in the tab bar
  3. Select a model - if you’re starting out, pick Phi-3 Mini (~2GB)
  4. Tap Download

The download goes to your device. This is the only step that requires internet.

Step 3 - Load and chat

  1. Tap Load next to your downloaded model
  2. Wait 5–15 seconds for it to load into memory
  3. Tap Chat and start talking

You’re now running AI entirely on your iPhone.

Tips for better performance

Use Metal acceleration - Off Grid automatically uses Apple’s Metal GPU for inference. This makes models 3–5x faster than CPU-only.

Close background apps - iOS may reclaim RAM from background apps. If the model unloads unexpectedly, close other apps and reload.

Quantisation matters - For 4GB RAM devices (iPhone 12/13), stick to Q4 models. For 8GB+ (iPhone 15 Pro+), you can use Q5 or Q8 for slightly better quality.

Offline use

Once a model is downloaded, Off Grid works in airplane mode. Put your phone offline and it continues to work normally.