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A Smoother OpenWebUI Experience: Introducing Conduit

Let’s be honest, sometimes the most powerful tools can be the trickiest to use, right? I’ve been spending a lot of time exploring OpenWebUI, and I was starting to feel a little frustrated. It’s incredibly capable, but navigating it on my phone wasn’t exactly a joy. That’s why I decided to build something different – a native iOS and Android client called Conduit.

It’s still early days, and I’m incredibly excited to share this with the community. This project really started from a desire to make OpenWebUI even easier to use on the go, and I’m hoping you’ll find it useful too!

Why a Native App?

So, why bother with a native app when the existing PWA works? Well, I really wanted a smoother, more intuitive experience. The PWA is great, but sometimes it felt a little clunky – especially when typing, or switching between different tasks. With Conduit, I was aiming for a feeling that’s more like the chat apps I’m already used to, but with all the privacy and control that OpenWebUI offers.

Think about it: effortless navigation, quick keyboard access, being able to share files directly from the app – these little things make a huge difference when you’re just trying to check in, send a message, or share a document.

What Conduit Offers

Key Features:

• Native Experience: Conduit provides a genuinely native feel – smooth animations, responsive design, and proper keyboard handling. It’s designed to look and feel as good as possible on iOS and Android.
• Privacy-First: This is a big one for me. Conduit connects directly to *your* OpenWebUI instance. There are no third-party servers or tracking involved. You’re in complete control of your data.
• Attachments: Easily add and view files within the app. Sharing files has never been easier.
• Voice Input: Don’t feel like typing? Just dictate your messages with voice input.
• Conversation Search: Quickly find past chats with a powerful search function.
• Model Selection: Switch between different language models directly within the app—a huge time saver.
• Theming: Conduit respects your system theme and includes a clean, dark mode for comfortable viewing.
• Accessibility: Designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring readability and navigation are easy for everyone.

Open Source and Your Help!

Conduit is completely open source, hosted on GitHub: github.com/cogwheel0/conduit. I’d love for you to take a look, file any bugs you find, or even contribute to the project!

Right now, the app is usable daily, but it’s still being polished. I’m currently building versions for iOS and Android, and both are awaiting approval (iOS) and availability (Android).

I need your help! To get Conduit on the Google Play Store and make it easier for everyone to use, I’m looking for 12 beta testers. If you’re interested in joining the Google Group (groups.google.com/g/conduit) and getting early access to the beta, please do!

You’ll get the beta directly from the Play Store here: play.google.com/apps/testing/app.cogwheel.conduit

I’m especially interested in hearing your feedback – what’s working well, what’s frustrating, and what features you’d like to see added. Bug reports and pull requests are hugely welcome!

Let’s Build It Together

This project is really about making OpenWebUI more accessible to everyone, especially those focused on privacy. If you’re someone who values control over your data, or if you’re helping friends and family move away from large, centralized chat apps, I’d love to hear your experience. Let’s make OpenWebUI even better, together!