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Kalon

Getting started

Install Kalon, download a first model, and run a prompt with every network connection blocked.

Kalon is a private AI assistant that runs its models on your own hardware. The Mac app and the iPhone and iPad app share one Rust core. Chats, memory and files are stored on the device, and no account exists.

Requirements

PlatformMinimumNotes
MacmacOS 14GPU inference through Metal.
iPhone and iPadiOS 17One build for both.

Get the apps from the download page. There is nothing to sign in to.

Download your first model

Kalon ships without model weights. You choose what to download, and it stays on the device until you remove it.

On the Mac

  1. Click your profile card in the sidebar and choose Settings.
  2. Select Models. The first card names your Mac and shows its unified memory and how much of it Kalon can use for models.
  3. Find a model with Search models… and click Download. Hover the progress ring to pause, resume or cancel.
  4. When the card shows Installed, close Settings and pick the model from the model menu above the composer. Installed models are listed under On this Mac.

A small model is the fastest way to confirm everything works. llama3.2:1b is 0.8 GB and qwen2.5:0.5b is 0.4 GB.

On iPhone and iPad

  1. Open Settings and tap Models. If you send a message before choosing one, Kalon opens this list for you.
  2. Tap Get on a model. The list only shows models that fit this device's memory, and the footer says how many were left out.
  3. When the download finishes, tap Load.

See Models and memory for how Kalon decides what fits.

Run with the network blocked

Kalon has a switch that blocks all of its own outbound connections, including model downloads.

  1. On the Mac, open Settings › Online models and turn on Block all network access. On iPhone, the same switch is in Settings › Privacy.
  2. Ask something. The reply is generated on the device.
  3. Turn the switch off again when you want to download another model.

Airplane mode works too. With a local model selected, the reply, document reading and on-device voice all run without a connection. See Privacy and network for exactly what the switch covers.

Next steps