Hey r/Chapper, hey Everyone,

Chapper 1.3.0 is officially here, and it’s a game-changer for how we think about AI on iPhone and iPad.

While Chapper started as the ultimate remote for your local AI servers (LM Studio, Ollama, llama.cpp), version 1.3.0 turns Chapper into a local AI powerhouse in its own right. We’ve integrated native on-device model support, meaning you can now run private LLMs directly on your device’s hardware. No server, no cloud, no compromise on privacy.

What’s new in 1.3.0:

• On-Device Local Models: Run private LLMs directly on your iPhone and iPad. Your data never even leaves your device.

• MLX Support: Native integration for MLX local models

• Apple Foundation Models: Support for Apple’s foundation models where available

• Live Activities: Track ongoing chats and local model generation status

• Brave Search Integration: A new privacy-focused option for web search tools

• Reliable MCP Tool Execution: Significant improvements to Model Context Protocol (MCP) workflows for files, web search, URLs, memory, and shell actions.

• $C.A.S.H. Improvements: Better filesystem behavior and clearer activity reporting for Chapper's shell workflow.

• Enhanced Vision: Better handling for local vision models on-device.

• Refined UI & UX: Major updates to Settings, Model Management, and the Chat Composer for a smoother, more stable experience.

• Pro & Local Model Flows: Updated and more robust purchase flows for Pro features and Local Model access.

• Reliability Fixes: Improved iCloud sync, cursor stability in the composer, and fixes for user-reported StoreKit and MCP issues.

Chapper 1.3.0 is our commitment to a local & private-first AI future. Whether you are tethered to a powerful home lab via LM Studio or running a private model on the train via MLX, Chapper provides the most professional and capable interface for local LLMs on iOS, which will keep improving.

As always, thank you for the feedback and for being part of this journey.

Download Chapper 1.3.0 on the App Store now.

Stay local. Stay private. Stay in control.

CASH Shell is a native, on-device terminal environment built into Chapper, designed for direct interaction with LM Studio and any OpenAI-compatible API. It merges terminal-style execution with modern LLM workflows in a mobile-first implementation.

Unlike traditional chat interfaces or remote shells, CASH Shell executes locally inside the iOS app environment. It does not rely on external terminal apps or SSH sessions. The command layer runs directly on-device, providing immediate interaction with model APIs and toolchains.

Core capabilities:

• On-device terminal execution inside Chapper
• Direct communication with LM Studio or OpenAI-compatible endpoints
• AI-assisted command generation and execution
• Structured command syntax for LLM workflows
• Fast iteration for prompts, tool calls, and model behavior testing
• Fewer steps between intention and execution; no menus, buttons, or other dialogs; commands run directly as actions instead of being handled through a visual chat interface
• And much more: see for yourself

Two operational modes:
Manual mode: commands are entered and executed directly in CASH Shell on the device
AI/LLM mode: natural language is translated into structured commands by the model and executed, automatically or not. The user stays in control.

CASH Shell turns Chapper into a command-driven LLM control surface running entirely on iOS and iPadOS, optimized for speed, experimentation, and developer but also general workflows.

Try out $C.A.S.H. in Chapper.

We’re proud to introduce Chapper 1.2.0, a major update powered by C.A.S.H. and packed with powerful new features, major quality improvements, and a smoother overall experience.

New in this release:

• New C.A.S.H. built-in shell workflow

• New JSON Lab for raw request testing

• New vision support

• New file uploads

• Improved Thinking / Reasoning compatibility

• More reliable AI-generated titles and summaries

• Cleaner chat history previews

• Major improvements to model management

• Better MCP and shell workflow behavior

• Faster, more reliable iCloud sync across your devices

• Fixed a rare StoreKit-related Pro setup issue

• Fixes for multiple UX and compatibility issues

• Plus many more improvements across Chapper

Chapper 1.2.0 makes local AI on iPhone and iPad more capable, more reliable, and smoother than ever.

What Chapper is:

Chapper is a powerful, privacy-first AI chat client for iPhone and iPad that connects directly to local LLMs, LM Studio, self-hosted AI servers, and OpenAI-compatible endpoints.

No accounts. No forced cloud. No subscription.

Whether you run LM Studio, Ollama, llama.cpp, or another OpenAI-compatible endpoint, Chapper gives you a polished, fully native iOS experience for chatting with your models, managing conversations, tuning inference settings, using tools, and working with local AI on your own terms.

Built in SwiftUI from the ground up, Chapper is designed to feel like a real iPhone and iPad app, not a web wrapper.

FEATURES

• Personas

Create and switch between custom AI personas, each with their own system prompt, tone, and language. Built-in personas include Code Expert, Translator, Teacher, Analyst, Brainstormer, and more.

• Thought Process

See reasoning output from supported models in a collapsible panel above responses.

• Rich Markdown Rendering

Full support for code blocks, tables, lists, emphasis, and structured responses.

• Model Management

Browse, inspect, select, load, and unload models directly from the app where supported. View quantization, context length, tool support, vision support, and active status.

• MCP Tools

Built-in tool workflows for web search, current time, server status, model listing, chat search, file and directory access, URL fetching, export actions, and more.

• C.A.S.H. Terminal

A built-in sandboxed terminal environment for practical local workflows, file operations, shell scripting, and AI-assisted tool execution.

• Files App Integration

Access Chapper workspace files directly in the iOS Files app, including exports and tool-related content where supported.

• Memory

Save useful long-term information and inject it into conversations automatically for more consistent assistance across chats.

• Scratchpad

Keep temporary notes, prompts, drafts, or working context alongside your chats.

• Prompt Templates

Save and reuse common prompts instantly.

• Full Parameter Control

Adjust temperature, token limits, repeat penalty, Top-K, Top-P, Min-P, TFS-Z, Flash Attention, KV-cache offload, context length, keep-alive, structured output, and more.

• Search

Full-text search across chats and message history.

• Export

Export conversations in multiple formats including TXT, PDF, HTML, Markdown, JSON, CSV, and XML.

• Keychain Support

Store API keys securely using iOS Keychain.

• iCloud Sync

Optionally sync chats across devices with iCloud.

• Analytics Dashboard

View on-device usage stats and activity insights.

• Text to Speech

Listen to responses with native, local, or server-based TTS playback.

• Chat Info

Inspect timestamps, counts, tags, folder assignment, and other conversation metadata.

• Server Tools

Configure, save, and reuse server connections for a smoother local AI workflow.

• JSON Lab

Work with custom JSON requests and experimental API workflows directly inside Chapper.

• Chapper Pro

One-time purchase. Unlock unlimited chat history, all export formats beyond plain text, advanced sampling and structured output controls, MCP tools in normal chat, C.A.S.H. terminal access with shell scripting and AI shell tooling, premium personas and prompt templates, memory and analytics extras, iCloud sync, live vision chat, premium appearance options including additional app icons, and future Pro features. No subscription.

REQUIREMENTS

Chapper is designed for locally hosted or self-managed AI backends, including LM Studio, Ollama, llama.cpp, and OpenAI-compatible servers. Some features depend on the capabilities of the connected model or server.

PRIVACY

Chapper is built with privacy in mind. Your chats stay on your device unless you explicitly enable iCloud sync or connect to your own server. No accounts required. No third-party tracking.

Chapper is built for people who care about local AI, privacy, model control, and a true native iOS experience.

Hey r/Chapper, hey Everyone

Chapper 1.2.0 is now live on the App Store.

This is our biggest update so far and a major step forward for the app. It makes Chapper more capable, more polished, and even closer to the kind of local AI experience we think should exist on iPhone and iPad.

Chapper is built for people running LM Studio, Ollama, llama.cpp, and OpenAI-compatible servers who want a proper iOS experience for local LLMs, reasoning models, chat history, exports, tools, and model control.

What’s new in 1.2.0:

• New C.A.S.H. built-in shell workflow

• New JSON Lab for raw request testing

• New vision support

• New file uploads

• Improved Thinking / Reasoning compatibility

• More reliable AI-generated titles and summaries

• Cleaner chat history previews

• Major improvements to model management

• Better MCP and shell workflow behavior

• Faster, more reliable iCloud sync across devices

• Fixed a rare StoreKit-related Pro setup issue

• Fixes for multiple UX and compatibility issues

• Plus many more improvements across Chapper

If you are new here, Chapper is a native SwiftUI app for local AI on iPhone and iPad with:

• Real-time streaming chat

• Reasoning model support

• MCP tools

• Full chat export

• Personas, memory, prompt templates, and scratchpad

• Model management and advanced sampling controls

• Optional iCloud sync

• No accounts, no forced cloud, no subscriptions

• C.A.S.H., Chapper Adaptive Shell Host

App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/de/app/chapper/id6760984679

Website:

https://prevolut.uk/products/chapper

Update to 1​.2​.0, and let us know what feels better, what still needs work, and what you want us to build next.