B1 Buddy

B1 Buddy support

Last updated: 14 November 2026

Getting help

Email support@b1buddy.app. In the app you can also open Settings (the cog on the chat list), then "Email us". Please say which iPhone or iPad you have, its iOS version, and the app version (shown in Settings, under About). Never send us an API key.

To report a reply from B1 that was wrong or upsetting, press and hold the reply and choose Report this reply. This opens a draft email in your Mail app with the reply in it; you can edit it, and nothing is sent unless you press Send.

B1 is an AI. Replies can be wrong, so check anything important. If you or someone else is in danger, contact your local emergency services.

Common questions

How do I add a brain (an AI service)?

Open Settings, then B1's brains (it uses your buddy's name), then Add a brain. Choose OpenAI, Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), "Another service" (any service that uses the OpenAI format) or "My own computer" (Ollama or LM Studio at home). Paste your own API key from that company's website, test the connection, pick a model from the list and save. The first time you chat with it, B1 shows a screen saying what will be sent to that service; nothing is sent unless you agree. Using a service with your own key may cost you money with that company; B1 Buddy does not charge for it and unlocks nothing with it. New to API keys? See how to get a key, step by step.

"The model on this iPhone isn't available"

The free brain that runs on the device is Apple's on-device model, part of Apple Intelligence. It needs an iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence, with Apple Intelligence switched on (Settings, Apple Intelligence & Siri). After switching it on, the model may take a while to download; leave the device on Wi-Fi and charging, then try again. If your device cannot run Apple Intelligence, add another brain instead (above).

How do I restore my purchases?

Open Settings and tap Restore purchases, or use the button at the bottom of the shop. Sign in with the same Apple Account you bought with. Purchases are shared with your Family Sharing group. B1 himself, chat, voice, the widgets and the eight scenes are free and never need restoring.

How do I delete my data?

Everything is kept on your device; we hold nothing.

What a service has already received is held by that service; ask them about it. Full details: the privacy policy.

How do reminders work?

Ask in any chat, for example "Remind me to take my medication every day at 8" or "Add milk to my list". B1 Buddy adds it on your iPhone and says exactly what it added, with Undo and Edit; if it isn't sure of the time, it opens the "new reminder" screen for you to check. Your list sits behind the small button just above the message box ("3 to do"): tap it to tick things off, edit them or swipe to delete. Repeats can be every day, every weekday, every week or every month. At the time, your iPhone shows a notification from B1 Buddy, so allow notifications when asked (or later: Settings, B1 Buddy, Notifications). The list stays on your iPhone and is never sent to an AI service. A reminder is a nudge, not a guarantee: don't rely on it alone for anything that really matters, such as medicine.

B1 can't see my calendar

The easiest way: ask B1 about your plans in a chat ("What have I got next week?"). If the calendar isn't on, B1 asks right there, says what would be sent, and Allow switches everything on and answers your question, with no new chat needed. Or open Settings in B1 Buddy, "Lists and calendar", and switch on Let B1 see my calendar, then allow calendar access when iOS asks. If you said no before, allow it in the iPhone's Settings, Privacy & Security, Calendars, B1 Buddy, Full Access. B1 only reads your calendar; it never adds or changes anything. For B1 to answer questions such as "What's on today?", Let B1 use my calendar in answers must be on too (it comes on with the first switch unless you've switched it off yourself): then the next week's appointments go to the AI service you chose, but only with a message about your day (with the brain on this iPhone, they never leave it).

My computer at home isn't found

Make sure the phone is on the same Wi-Fi as the computer, that Ollama or LM Studio is running, and that it is set to accept connections from other devices on your network (the app explains the one setting to change). If iOS asked to find devices on your local network and you said no, turn it back on in Settings, Privacy & Security, Local Network, B1 Buddy.

My computer has a password in front of Ollama

Ollama has no password of its own, but you can put one in front of it (for example when you share it over Tailscale). Type it under Password when you add "My own computer", or on the brain's page later. It is optional, kept in your iPhone's Keychain, and sent only to that computer, as Authorization: Bearer followed by the password.

Using my computer away from home

Use Tailscale on the computer and the iPhone, share Ollama with Tailscale Serve, and type the computer's https://….ts.net address with its port. iPhones refuse plain http to a Tailscale 100.x address, so that address shows "That address doesn't look right."