Device and installation manual · adults 18+
AI companion device guides: choose the right setup path
Use this hub to identify whether you are dealing with a native app, a website, or a website saved to the home screen. Then follow the operating-system checks that match your device. The goal is a controlled setup: no automatic permission grants, no revealing lock-screen previews, no accidental gallery backup and no assumptions about what an uninstall can remove.
Reviewed and updated
| Your situation | Start with | Check next | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone or iPad | iPhone/iOS guide | Safari, Photos, Notifications | Every service has an iOS app |
| Android phone or tablet | Android guide | Browser, app permissions, battery | Menus match another manufacturer |
| No installation wanted | Browser/no-download guide | Site permissions and downloads | Private mode is anonymous |
| Home-screen icon wanted | PWA guide | Browser engine and notification support | A shortcut is a native app |
| Shared or managed device | Compatibility checklist | Lock screen, backup, admin policy | Hidden icons hide activity |
Run this device check in order
- 01
Identify the exact device and OS version.
- 02
Confirm whether the access point is a store app, browser page or saved web app.
- 03
Check whether the device is shared, supervised or work-managed.
- 04
Set lock-screen previews before enabling service notifications.
- 05
Deny optional permissions until a feature needs one.
- 06
Choose a local destination before downloading media.
- 07
Measure storage, battery and mobile data after a harmless test.
Three access types that can look deceptively similar
A native application is installed from a verified store listing and receives its own operating-system permission page. A normal website runs inside a browser tab and usually uses site permissions managed by Safari, Chrome or another browser. A progressive web app or home-screen shortcut launches from an icon but may still use the browser engine. Look at the store history, app information panel and browser site settings rather than judging by the shape of the icon.
This distinction controls where you troubleshoot. A native app login fault belongs in that app, while a saved website may share cookies with the browser. A native app may have background-refresh controls; a web shortcut may depend on browser notification support. Removing a shortcut generally removes the launcher, not necessarily every browser cookie or provider account. Keep the layers separate.
Choose by constraint, not by imagined feature lists
If the device cannot install apps, begin with the verified web version. If the lock screen is visible to other people, configure previews before any test message. If cloud Photos is shared, decide how downloads will be handled before generating or saving an image. If mobile data is expensive, run the first media test on a connection you control and inspect actual counters afterward.
Do not select a path because a comparison page calls it more private or faster. Privacy depends on the settings you apply and the service policy you read. Speed depends on the device, connection and current interface. The hub links below are organized around these concrete constraints so you can stop when evidence is missing.
A shared-device threat model
On a shared household tablet, the obvious risks are browser history, recent tabs, autofill, saved passwords, downloads, photo backup and notification previews. On a personally owned phone connected to a shared watch or computer, mirrored notifications and synchronized photos may be more important. On a managed work device, the administrator may control installed software, certificates, browsers and network routing.
List the people and systems that can touch each surface. Then remove unnecessary exposure: use a separate browser profile where supported, do not save credentials to a shared password store, hide previews, turn off cross-device forwarding and avoid downloading media to a synchronized library. These steps reduce local exposure but do not alter provider-side records.
The safest order for permission prompts
Start with all optional access denied. Use text chat first. When you deliberately choose an upload, select a single file if the OS offers limited access. When you deliberately record, allow the microphone for that action and review the permission afterward. Camera, contacts and precise location should not be treated as routine requirements for ordinary text interaction.
A request can be legitimate for a particular feature without deserving permanent broad access. Read the system prompt, cancel if the reason is unclear, and locate the app or site in Settings. If denying access breaks the feature, that confirms a dependency on your device; it does not tell you what happens after data reaches the service.
Build a written compatibility record
Record date, device, OS, browser or app version, access method and the exact feature tested. Note “visible,” “not visible,” “worked in this session,” or “prompt appeared.” Avoid absolute language. An upload button visible to one signed-in account does not prove every file format works; a successful notification on one iOS release does not prove Android parity.
This small record makes troubleshooting faster and prevents memory from turning observations into claims. It also helps when an update changes the route. Re-run only the relevant check after updates: login, upload, notification delivery, download location or home-screen launch.
Where to continue
Use the iPhone guide for Apple permission and notification paths. Use the Android guide for manufacturer variations, permission auto-reset and battery policies. Use browser/no-download for site controls, the PWA guide for home-screen behavior, and the compatibility checklist before creating an account on a shared or restricted device.
The permissions, notification, image-storage, data-and-battery and troubleshooting guides each isolate one failure class. That architecture is deliberate: changing a lock-screen preview is not the same task as changing an email alert, and clearing a download is not the same task as closing an account.
Evidence boundary
What product documentation and the current interface can confirm
Use the provider’s official pages and the version open on your device. Record only what is stated or visible now. A screen can confirm that a control is presented to this account; it cannot prove behavior for every region, plan, operating system or future release.
- Official access links and store publisher identity
- Current app or browser version shown on the device
- Sign-in methods and upload controls visible to the current account
- Actual system permission prompts triggered by a chosen action
- Local notification and download behavior on this device
Version caveat: Device menus, store availability, browser capabilities and service controls vary by operating-system version, manufacturer, region and account. Record absent controls as not visible, not impossible.
Device questions
Frequently asked questions
Is a home-screen icon proof that an app is installed?
No. It can be a browser shortcut or progressive web app. Check the app information panel and browser site settings.
Which guide should I use first?
Start with the operating system or browser you actually use, then open the topic guide for permissions, notifications, images or resource use.
Can this hub confirm what a specific provider stores?
No. It covers device behavior. Review the provider’s current policy and account controls for service-side handling.
Optional next step
Apply the device checks to a current product surface
Only continue after you know which access method, permissions and notification settings you will accept. These links are sponsored; verify the current official interface and terms yourself.
Candy AIOpen the current product surface after completing the device preflight.Check current access →
OurDream AICompare the current app or web route on the device you intend to use.Check current access →
Joi AIInspect the available interface without assuming store and web parity.Check current access →
Darlink AIUse the guide first, then verify the exact media and permission flow shown.Check current access →Open the full product access directory
These are access links, not feature endorsements. Complete the compatibility checklist and verify the current product screen before granting permissions.
