Zigi is a flip-style journal app with one page, one entry, and one cover image per day. The upper half of the screen displays the cover image, while the lower half is the writing area. You can swipe left or right on the cover image to move between days. Zigi offers features such as weather forecasts, a calendar, page-sharing links, voice input, and handwritten fonts. The following introduction shows each information area and function button — notce that every part is interactive and can be tapped to access its feature.
The [Weather information] in the top-right corner shows local {rain probability, current temperature, weather figural}. Having a real-time weather condition while writing, you can feel a sense of immediacy and presence.
Beyond the immersive feel, Zigi also makes it easy to check the weather anywhere in the world. Tap the [Map] button to display your current location, then drag the map to any place you want — after one second, the [Weather informaiton] will automatically update for that area. If you want to check tomorrow's weather in another city, simply flip the page to tomorrow, open the map, and drag to that location.
Additionally, Zigi provides 24-hour weather trend diagram for today and tomorrow. Simply tap the [Weather Information] to display them. As for the following five days, the forecast is shown using temperature ranges and weather figurals. Together, these features form a complete and convenient weather forecasting system. Please refer to the image below:
Just tap [Date] to open the calendar. On the calendar, the pink dot represents today, while the yellow dot marks upcoming events — the bright color serves as a visual reminder and can be used to indicate to-do items.
On the calendar, you can tap any grid with date marked to write These include:(1) Today and the past 7 days
(2) Up to 90 days in the future
(3) Any day on which you've already written a diary entry
A gray underline below a date means you've written a diary entry that day, while a blue underline indicates that the page entry has been set for shared reading.By the way, user can swipe left and right on the calendar to shift month.
Sometimes you might want to share one of your diary entries with others. In that case, you can use the [PageSharing] feature. Tap the [Paperclip] icon in the upper-right corner of the editing area, check [Share this page], and then tap [Copy link] — the sharing URL will be copied to your clipboard. You can then paste it on your social media platform. Note that the shared page will display your account name in the top-left corner. If you prefer to remain anonymous, simply check [Anonymous], and a randomly generated name will appear instead. By the way, in addition to the diary entry itself, your conversation with your AI buddy will also be shown on the shared page.
At the bottom of the page, you'll see xxx hits, indicating how many people have viewed this page.Zigi features one page and one image per day — the image here refers to the “cover image.” The platform currently offers a library of 300 beautifully pictures that users can freely use as covers. Users can also upload their own images — up to 5 per page. The uploaded images are shown as dots, and users can tap the dots to switch between different images as the cover.
Zigi also offers the [AI generate] feature, which draws a cover image based on your diary entry. The style is randomly chosen between modern illustration and abstract art. If you’re not satisfied, you can simply click it to draw again until you are.
Compared to system fonts, handwritten fonts make diary writing feel much more personal. Zigi currently offers several handwriting fonts, including:
- Yozai
- Jason Handwriting
- PingFang ShiGuang
Tap [Settings] → [Misc] to switch between different fonts. (Please restart the app after changing the setting.)
Zigi supports voice input, allowing users to write their diary by speaking — a convenient feature for those who don't feel like typing. The voice input uses ks-fsa technology, which runs directly on the device, so your phone should be fairly capable. Based on our tests, most phones released in the past two years can run it smoothly.When the Zigi app starts, a semi-transparent microphone icon appears at the bottom of the screen (it won't appear if your device's performance is insufficient). Tap the icon to activate it — after a few seconds, it becomes solid. Then, tap the diary editing area, and you can start voice input right away.
Additionally, the voice input feature can also be used as a transcription tool. Go to [Settings] → [Misc] and switch the voice input mode to [Transcription]. In this mode, your spoken words will be displayed line by line, each accompanied by a timestamp.One of the major features of Zigi diary is its virtual companions (called buddies)—AI characters that can accompany the user. There are currently about 20 buddies available for subscription. Some are developed by the Zigi team, while others come from the user community. They generally fall into three categories:
- Life assistants, such as <Weather Girl - Tina>
- Emotional companions, such as <Productivity Master - Peter>
- Learning tutors, such as <Mandarin diary tutor - Laura>
When subscribing to a buddy for the first time, you'll need to fill in some basic information (since some buddies use it to personalize their interactions). After that, simply pick a buddy you like. Public companions can be subscribed to directly, while some require an invitation code (this is because different buddies are released under different subscription stages).
After subscribing, your buddy will wait at the bottom of the diary, ready to be summoned. Just tap the [Call] button, and it will appear.
When your conversation with the buddy gets long, earlier messages will automatically be hidden to keep the layout tidy. Hidden messages will show only the speaker's name, as shown below. To reveal or hide the full message, simply tap the speaker's name to toggle between (hidden ↔ shown).
Additionally, if you're using voice input, you can summon your buddy by saying“Hi, buddy”. Once you say that, it will appear.This is an experimental feature — a cute pet appears at the center of the screen to keep you company (uou can switch between a dog and a cat). The pet can sense your mood: when your diary entry becomes emotional, it will respond with a caring "Woof woof woof" (dog) or "Meow meow meow" (cat).
Zigi is a lightweight web app (using Google's Progressive Web App, or PWA, deployment method). It's compact in size and can be installed on iOS, Android, and desktop devices. Here's how:■ Android
Please use Chrome browser to visit Zigi homepage, and click [Enter install page], At this point, a button saying“Click here to add Zigi to desktop” will appear in the lower-left corner. Tap it to install the Zigi app on your desktop.
■ iOS
Please use Safari browser to visit Zigi homepage, and click [Enter install page], At this point, a prompt will appear at the bottom. Follow the instructions to find the [Share] button on your browser's toolbar, tap it, and then select [Add to Home Screen] to install the Zigi app on your desktop.
(Zigi will launch its iOS and Android apps in the future — they are currently in development)
Once Zigi is installed on your home screen, you can use it right away. But what if you switch to a new phone or reinstall the app? How do you restore your previously written entries? That's where the [Register] feature comes in. As long as you've registered before, your journal content can be restored always.First, tap the [Setting] icon in the top-left corner, then switch to the [Registration] section. Enter your email address and your desired account (letters, numbers, and periods only). After tapping [Bind], the system will send a verification email to that address. The email includes a 6-digit security code — enter that code to complete the registration.
When reinstalling the app, go to [Setting], switch to the [Recover] section, and enter the email used for registration along with the security code. This will restore your original diary data.Q: Why ask to enable location services?
A: Zigi uses location services to provide accurate weather forecasts; otherwise, only general predictions will be available. If you're using an iPhone and haven't seen the ask, go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Safari, select [While Using the App], and then restart Zigi.
Q: Will the user's journal content be visible to platform maintianer?
A: This is inevitable, as we need to store this data for everyone. However, the platform will not use the data for anything other than service management and analysis. We will not share the data with any other individuals or companies.
Q: Will the user's journal content be used to train models?
A: No, because we use the ChatGPT API to analyze journals. OpenAI has stated that it will not use user data for training.
Q: Which technology is used for the speech input? Can it be more faster?
A: Zigi uses the open source technology k2-fsa to fulfill speech input. Since it runs directly on the phone, a high-end device is recommended for better performance.