Plenty of journal apps stop being useful on a plane, on the underground, or anywhere the signal drops. They were built as a window onto a server.
absorvia is built the other way round. Capture is local. You can write every day without a connection and never see a loading state.
What works with no connection
Writing a thought, reading everything you have written, and moving through your library all work offline. There is no sign-in check and no fetch before the keyboard appears.
This matters more than it sounds. The moment you want to catch a thought is rarely the moment you have good signal.
What needs a connection
Reflection is the part that goes out to the network. When you send a thought for an Echo, the relevant writing travels to the absorvia server and on to a model, and one line comes back. A request can include excerpts from more than one capture.
Without a connection, the thought is captured and waits. You lose nothing except the immediate reply.
- Offline: writing, reading, searching your own library.
- Online: the Echo, Depth, Undercurrent and Sit With It.
- Reflection is opt-in. Your library is on your device and writing works without a connection. Reflections need one, and diagnostic and subscription services use the network.
Why it is built this way
Keeping the library local removes the account, the sync conflicts and the server copy in one decision. Offline capture is a consequence of that choice rather than a feature bolted on.
It also means the app is fast. Nothing round-trips before your words appear on screen.
Privacy
Your thought library stays on your device. Optional iCloud backup, off by default, keeps a copy in your own iCloud that absorvia cannot read. No absorvia account is required. AI reflections are opt-in. With your permission, relevant writing and context are sent to our backend and, when needed, to OpenAI. A request can include excerpts from more than one capture. This text is not used to train OpenAI's models. Switch AI Reflections off in Settings to stop future AI requests. Temporary service records are explained in the privacy policy.
Cost
absorvia is free to start. The free plan includes up to five saved thoughts per day and basic writing patterns. Premium includes up to 100 saved thoughts per day, voice capture, daily depth, deeper pattern surfacing and Sit With It. Monthly and annual subscriptions renew automatically. Eligible subscribers can try the annual plan free for 7 days. Current prices and eligibility are shown at purchase. AI reflections require your permission and an internet connection. The free plan includes up to three AI reflections in a rolling seven-day period. A reflection is an optional written response to a thought; the on-device thought category and orb colour do not require one. Premium includes further access subject to fair-use limits. You can keep writing within your plan’s capture allowance when reflections are unavailable.
Questions
Can I write in absorvia offline?
Yes. Writing and reading your library need no connection. Leave reflection off and nothing you write leaves the phone. The app still sends diagnostic and usage data, and your subscription status.
Do thoughts sync when I get signal back?
There is no journal sync between devices. AI requests can include relevant excerpts from several captures, while billing and diagnostics have separate network activity.
Does it work on an iPad or Mac?
absorvia is available on iPhone and iPad, with a separate local library on each device. There is no web editor or journal sync.
Try it. Write one thought and see what comes back.
