FAQ
A few of the most common questions. If yours isn't here, the app's onboarding and your Mac's menu-bar agent both have inline help.
No. Ario does not have accounts, sign-ups, or cloud profiles. Open the iOS or iPadOS app, and the Mac companion announces itself on your local network — that's it.
No. Ario is intentionally local-only. Both devices must be on the same Local Area Network. Nothing about your screen, voice, or keystrokes ever leaves your network — there is no relay server.
No. Ario is a single one-time purchase on the App Store. No tiers, no monthly fees, no feature gating. Buy it once and use it for as long as your devices run.
The companion app runs on any Mac with Apple silicon or Intel running macOS 13 or later. The remote app supports iPhone and iPad with iOS / iPadOS 17 or later. Apple Pencil is supported on compatible iPads.
Whisper Large, Whisper Turbo, Parakeet, GigaAM, and Apple's built-in dictation. All run locally — on your Mac or your iOS device, depending on the engine. No cloud transcription.
Yes — that's one of the most common setups. Plug a display-emulator dongle into the Mac (or use macOS's headless mode), install the Ario companion, and you'll see the desktop floating in front of you whenever you open the iOS app.
Ario uses Bonjour (mDNS) on the local network. The Mac companion advertises itself; the iPhone/iPad app subscribes. As long as both devices are on the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet segment, connection is automatic — no codes to type, no QR scans.