Help & Support

What is Tellspike?

Tellspike is an on-device AI assistant for iPhone. Ask it anything, by voice or by typing, and the question is answered on your phone by default -- it never leaves. Spike, your companion, is the face of it. Tellspike is a general assistant, not a substitute for professional mental health care.

How does talking to Spike work?

Tap the microphone button and start speaking, or type instead. Tellspike transcribes your voice entirely on your device using Apple Speech Recognition -- your audio is never sent to a server. Spike then answers, on device.

Is my data private?

Yes. Tellspike defaults to Private Mode, where all AI processing happens on your device. Your voice recordings are never transmitted anywhere. Conversation data is stored locally in encrypted storage on your phone.

If you choose to enable cloud AI for higher-quality responses, personally identifiable information is stripped before anything is sent. You can switch back to Private Mode at any time. Read our full Privacy Policy for details.

What AI modes are available?

Tellspike offers three privacy modes:

• Private Mode (default) -- All processing on-device. No internet required.
• Normal Mode -- Cloud AI with PII removal for improved responses.
• Full Power Mode -- Premium cloud AI providers for the best quality responses.

You can change modes any time in Settings. The change takes effect immediately.

Which devices are supported?

Tellspike requires iOS 26 or later. On-device AI via Apple Foundation Models requires an A17 Pro chip or later (iPhone 15 Pro and newer). Older supported devices use locally downloaded AI models for on-device processing.

How do I delete my data?

Go to Settings > Delete Data within the App to erase all conversations, Spike companion state, and preferences. You can also uninstall the App, which removes all locally stored data.

Is Tellspike a therapy or mental health app?

No. Tellspike is a personal wellness and reflection tool. It is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact emergency services or a crisis hotline such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988 in the US).

The microphone isn't working. What should I do?

Make sure Tellspike has microphone permission enabled. Go to iOS Settings > Tellspike > Microphone and ensure it is turned on. If you are using headphones or an external microphone, try disconnecting them and using the device microphone directly. Restarting the App can also help.