Bit Buddy guides
Using AI Device Analysis
A walkthrough of Bit Buddy's AI features and how to use them.
Bit Buddy's AI features are designed to help you get more out of your device collection. Instead of just logging devices, you can now get actionable insights about storage usage, maintenance habits, and organization. This guide covers each AI feature and how to use it.
Choosing Your AI Provider
Before using any AI features, you'll want to check which provider is active. Open Settings and look for the AI section. You'll see two options:
- Device (Foundation Models): On-device processing. Available on iOS 26+. This is the default if your device supports it.
- Cloud (OpenRouter): Cloud-based processing. Works on all supported iOS versions. Opt-in, and your data is automatically anonymized before being sent.
Pick whichever works for your setup. If you're on iOS 26 or later, the on-device option is the most private and doesn't require internet access.
AI Insight Cards
When you open a device's detail page, you'll see an AI Insight Card near the top. This card provides a brief analysis of that specific device based on its current data.
A typical insight might tell you:
- Whether the device is running low on storage
- How long it's been since the last maintenance log
- Suggestions for better organization (tags, content type, etc.)
- General health observations based on the device's age and usage
Insight cards are cached for 24 hours, so you won't see a new analysis every time you open the page. If you want a fresh analysis, tap the card to expand it and hit the refresh button.
AI Tips
The Tips section in Bit Buddy offers two types of recommendations:
AI-Generated Tips: These are created on-the-fly based on your actual device collection. The AI looks at everything you've logged (device types, storage levels, maintenance history, tags) and generates tips specific to your situation. If you have a bunch of external drives with no recent backups logged, for example, you'll probably see a tip about that.
Curated Tips: These come from a built-in library and are recommended by the AI based on relevance to your setup. They cover broader topics like backup strategies, storage best practices, and device maintenance.
You can switch between the two using the tabs at the top of the Tips view.
What the AI Can See
It helps to understand what data the AI actually has access to when generating its analysis. This depends on which provider you're using.
On-device (Foundation Models): The AI has access to all your device data, since everything stays on the device. This includes names, notes, file contents, locations, and any other details you've entered.
Cloud AI: Before anything is sent, Bit Buddy strips or generalizes sensitive information. The cloud provider receives anonymized device types (not names), capacity percentages, content types, tags, and maintenance task counts. It never sees your device names, notes, file contents, locations, IP addresses, or exact purchase dates. For a full breakdown, see the Privacy Policy.
When AI Features Are Unavailable
There are a few situations where AI features won't work:
- No provider selected: If you haven't chosen an AI provider in Settings, the features will be inactive.
- Cloud AI without internet: If you're using the cloud provider and don't have a connection, analysis won't be available until you're back online.
- Empty device list: The AI needs at least one device to analyze. Add a device first, then come back.