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Installing CoreTalk

Where CoreTalk is published, what each platform requires, and the one permission it asks for.

Installing CoreTalk

CoreTalk is published on the App Store and on Google Play.

iPhone

Requires iOS 16.0 or later.

  1. Open the CoreTalk: Live Interpreter listing on the App Store.
  2. Install and launch it.
  3. Grant microphone access when asked.

CoreTalk is an iPhone app. There is no iPad layout — the interface is built around a phone lying flat on a table between two people, and the orientation is locked to portrait and upside-down portrait for exactly that reason.

The App Store lists Mac (Apple silicon) and Apple Vision compatibility. That is Apple making iPhone apps available on those devices automatically. It is not a Mac app and not a visionOS app, and the table-top layout does not translate to either.

Android

Requires Android 8.0 (API level 26) or later.

  1. Open the CoreTalk listing on Google Play.
  2. Install and launch it.
  3. Grant Microphone.

The Android build implements the same interpretation protocol as the iOS one and is orientation-locked to portrait in the same way.

Permissions

CoreTalk asks for the microphone, and nothing else.

  • No camera. There is no camera usage string in the app at all.
  • No notifications.
  • No location, contacts, or phone permissions.
  • No account, no sign-in, no email address.

If microphone access is denied, the app shows an in-app banner explaining the problem with a link straight to the relevant Settings page, rather than failing silently.

First launch

On first launch you are asked for an AI server URL and an access key. Both are required before any real translation can run — see Setup.

If you do not have them, you can still open Demo Mode from the onboarding screen. Demo Mode runs a scripted bilingual conversation entirely offline, so you can see how the split screen and the two modes behave before committing to anything.

Languages

The interface itself is localized in English and Simplified Chinese. Other device languages fall back to English.

That is separate from the languages CoreTalk can interpret, which is a longer list chosen per side inside the app.

Next

Continue to Setup.

IntroductionSetup