Offgrid Diary
A paper-like mobile diary that works on airplane mode with AES-256 encryption and offline AI summaries. 6-digit PIN security, time-warp feature to see entries from previous years.
🔒 Offgrid Diary — Encrypted Offline Journal with AI
📱 A Paper-Like Mobile Diary That Works on Airplane Mode
🚀 About the Project
Offgrid Diary is a mobile journaling app built for complete privacy and offline functionality. No cloud sync, no accounts, no data collection — just you, your thoughts, and military-grade encryption.
Built in 5 days of intense vibe-coding with Cursor AI and Claude, this app proves that sometimes the best solutions come from scratching your own itch.
🔥 The Problem
Every journaling app I tried wanted an account, pushed my words to the cloud, or felt bloated.
I wanted a paper-like diary that works on airplane mode and locks itself like a vault.
🛠️ The Solution
- 6-digit PIN screen with AES-256 encrypted storage
- "Time-warp" swipe feature to see entries from this date in previous years
- Subtle ink-ripple animation while typing for a natural writing feel
- Offline AI summaries using LLaMA-7B model (700MB, but worth it)
- Σ-button for AI-powered insights and summaries
- No accounts, no cloud, no tracking
📈 Tech Stack
- Expo (bare workflow) for React Native development
- AES-256 encryption for local data security
- llama.rn for offline AI model integration
- AsyncStorage for encrypted local persistence
- TypeScript for type safety
- Custom animations and UI polish
✨ Key Features
🔐 Military-grade AES-256 encryption
✈️ 100% offline functionality
📅 Time-warp feature for historical entries
🤖 Offline AI summaries and insights
✍️ Natural ink-ripple typing animation
🔢 6-digit PIN security
🎨 Clean, paper-like interface
🔮 The 5-Day Build Log
Day 1 — Vibe-coding sprint (≈ 5h)
Stack: Expo (bare) + Cursor AI + Claude in "pair-programmer" mode
✅ 6-digit PIN screen
✅ AES-256 encrypted storage
✅ Time-warp swipe feature
✅ Subtle ink-ripple animation
Day 2 — The AI rabbit hole
✅ Added LLaMA-7B Q4 model (~700 MB)
✅ Hooked up llama.rn for offline intelligence
✅ Bought offgriddiary.app domain
✅ Built Vercel landing page with email collection
Day 3 — App Store review drama
❌ Reviewer flagged "AI" and thought I was selling upgrades outside IAP
✅ Explained everything is free for now, future Pro will use Apple IAP
✅ Got the approval ✓
Day 4 — Production bug facepalm
✅ TestFlight worked perfectly
❌ Live build model download failed 🤦♂️
✅ Hot-fixed the loader, resubmitted
Day 5 — Live! (kinda)
✅ Version 1.0 live on App Store
🔧 AI summaries work but still quirky
✅ Core experience (offline, encrypted, minimal) is solid
🧪 Behind the Scenes
- Cursor + Claude wrote 80% of the code — I just fixed edge cases
- Ship first, clarify later philosophy
- Users care more about offline & private than fancy cloud sync
- Vibe-coding is legit when you have the right AI pair-programmer
🔮 What's Next
- Tune or replace the 700MB model (TinyLlama maybe)
- Flip the switch on Pro subscription or one-time purchase
- More AI insights and writing prompts
📸 Screenshots
🚀 Try It
Available now on the App Store — download it, test it, maybe it'll fit your workflow.