Elio Chat: First Week — Full Data Disclosure
On February 8, 2026, we released Elio Chat on the App Store.
It had been a long time since I last released an app. But having AI made it so much easier. All the source code and methods are up on GitHub, and I've consolidated everything under enabler.com, which should make things a lot clearer.
One week since launch. Here are all the numbers.
Key Metrics (as of February 16, 2026)
| Metric | Value | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Total Downloads | 44 | Early stage |
| Impressions | 274 | App page view count |
| Product Page Views | 116 | Users who actually viewed the product page |
| Conversion Rate | 26.2% | Exceptionally high (industry average: 5-10%) |
| Sessions per Device | 4.27 | Being actively used |
| Crashes | 7 | Crash rate 15.9% — needs improvement |
Downloads by Region
| Country | Downloads | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 38 | 86.4% |
| United States | 2 | 4.5% |
| Australia | 1 | 2.3% |
| Denmark | 1 | 2.3% |
| United Kingdom | 1 | 2.3% |
Japan is the primary market. International reach is still in the seeding phase.
Download Sources
| Source | Downloads | Share |
|---|---|---|
| App Referrer (referrals from other apps) | 20 | 45.5% |
| App Store Search (organic search) | 16 | 36.4% |
| App Store Browse | 3 | 6.8% |
| Web Referrer | 2 | 4.5% |
| Unknown | 3 | 6.8% |
Referrals and word-of-mouth are the top channel. That's encouraging.
Downloads by Device
| Device | Downloads | Share |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone | 39 | 88.6% |
| iPad | 3 | 6.8% |
| Desktop (Mac Catalyst) | 2 | 4.5% |
The Mac Catalyst version being used was unexpected.
What Went Well
1. A 26.2% CVR Is Exceptionally High
Against an industry average of 5-10%, 1 in 4 visitors downloaded the app.
I believe this is evidence that the concept of a "privacy-first local AI" resonates. People who see it think, "I need this."
2. App Referrers at 45.5%
Without any advertising, referrals are the top channel. It's spreading by word of mouth.
3. Sessions per Device at 4.27
People aren't just downloading it and forgetting about it — they're using it repeatedly.
Areas for Improvement
1. Crash Rate of 15.9%
7 crashes out of 44 downloads. That's too high.
The most likely cause is running out of memory during local LLM inference. This tends to happen especially on older iPhones.
Action plan: Strengthen memory monitoring and implement automatic model size selection based on the device.
2. Impressions to Product Page Views at 42.3%
274 impressions, but only 116 people actually opened the page.
Action plan: Optimize the App Store screenshots and icon.
3. Zero Reviews
No one has written a review yet.
Action plan: Design the right timing for in-app review prompts.
How AI-Native Development Changed Things
What I really felt through this release is that with AI, even a solo developer can ship an app.
Before, releasing an iOS app alone was extremely tough. But now:
- Code generation: AI writes the boilerplate
- Debugging: Just paste the error message and it pinpoints the cause
- Documentation: AI drafts the README and privacy policy
- Marketing: Multi-language App Store descriptions
All the source code and methods are public on GitHub:
- Elio GitHub: github.com/anthropics/elio
- Project list: enabler.com
Try Elio Chat!
Elio Chat is a completely free, offline-capable, fully privacy-preserving AI chat app.
- Runs entirely on your iPhone — zero risk of data leaks
- Works on an airplane or in the mountains
- Extensible with MCP protocol support
Download here: App Store - Elio Chat
If you try it and have thoughts on what's great or what could be better, please let me know. Feedback is what makes the product grow.
chatweb.ai Is Also Being Updated Continuously
Alongside the local AI Elio, we're continuously updating the cloud-based chatweb.ai as well.
Recent Updates
- Explore Mode: Run multiple AI models (GPT-4o, Claude, Gemini) in parallel and pick the best answer
- Local LLM Fallback: Automatically switches to a local model (Qwen3-0.6B) when you can't reach the cloud
- 14 channels supported: LINE, Telegram, Slack, Discord... chat with AI from anywhere
When to Use Which
| Elio Chat | chatweb.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Environment | Fully local (works offline) | Cloud |
| AI Performance | Lightweight model (practical quality) | GPT-4o / Claude, etc. (highest accuracy) |
| Privacy | Maximum (zero data transmission) | Standard cloud security |
| Use Case | Handling confidential information, offline use | Tasks requiring high accuracy, multi-channel |
Use both to the fullest!
- Privacy first → Elio Chat
- High-accuracy AI → chatweb.ai
Next Actions
- Improve crash rate (top priority)
- Launch on Product Hunt
- ASO optimization (keywords and screenshot improvements)
- Design a review strategy
- Start Android development
Related Articles
- Offline Became the Ultimate Workspace
- How to Use AI at a Company That Banned ChatGPT
- February 2026 Monthly Report
Tags: Elio App Launch App Store AI Product Data Disclosure chatweb.ai