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How Junie thinks: full brain, on-device, and built-in

Junie has three brains, always tells you which one is running, and falls back on her own when one is unavailable.

Junie has three ways of thinking, and she always tells you which one she is using. Look at Settings > How Junie thinks, at the row labeled Junie:

plottwist server (full AI model)
Her full brain. Best understanding of loose, human phrasing, and the only mode that can set something repeating. Needs a connection and Sign in with Apple.
On-device Apple Intelligence
Runs entirely on your iPhone. Nothing about your day is sent anywhere. Understands plainer wording. Needs iOS 26 on an Apple Intelligence capable iPhone.
Built-in wording
A simple rules engine inside the app. Works with no connection at all. Plainest wording, and no recurring tasks.

Turning the full brain on

The switch is Settings > How Junie thinks > Let Junie use her full brain. Four things have to be true for it to actually run:

  1. The switch is on.
  2. You have agreed to the consent card.
  3. You are signed in with Apple. Until you are, the switch is greyed out and the caption says so.
  4. Our server is reachable.

The consent card

The first time you open the Junie tab you get a card headed Before Junie says hello, with four short sections: what leaves your phone, where it goes, what never leaves, and what happens if you send us feedback. The Sounds good button only appears once you have scrolled to the end. Not now is a real choice, and Junie still works without it.

The real card. Scroll it here the same way you would in the app.

She falls back on her own

You never have to switch modes by hand. If our server does not answer inside about twenty seconds, or you are offline, or anything else goes wrong, she drops to the next brain silently and keeps working rather than leaving you staring at a spinner. The Settings row always names the brain actually in use, so it is the one place worth checking.

Nothing is lost in the lower modes. She can still add, move, park, complete, and log refills.

For exactly what is sent when the full brain is on, see what leaves your phone when you talk to Junie and our Trust and AI Transparency page.

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