Byteling

Your pixel pet that really talks back.

A cozy little friend with a heart and a small brain.

The start screen: Tahu, a green pixel sprout, in its room with a speech bubble, and below it four care cards for food, joy, energy and clean. The big room with the Decorate button: Tahu in a hammock between a window, a clock, a flower box, a fern and a little stove. The five Bytelings: Sproutling, Mochi, Ember, Luma and Piko, each with its own little workshop. Talking to Tahu. Under the text field: Tahu is a program, not a person – prewritten lines, no AI. Trio Treats, the match-3 game: a board of pixel fruit and chocolate. Little Trips: six destinations from the doorstep to Starry Hill, each with the time Tahu comes back. Discoveries: a pixel world map with fifteen special places, and the collection of things shown to Tahu. Tahu's diary, open at the treasures: supplies and toys found on trips.

Download on the App Store

Out November 1, 2026 · pre-order now

Coming to Android too

Free · No ads · No account · Ages 13+ · Prices & questions

A cozy virtual pet that really talks back

Byteling is a virtual pet game for iPhone and iPad, drawn in simple pixel art. You care for your Byteling, talk to it, send it on little trips and play eight small games together, including an endless match-3 with no lives and no boosters for sale. Show it real things with the camera, and it keeps them in its Codex.

A calm game for anyone 13 and up: no countdown, no punishment, nothing you can lose. Made by TehutStudio, one person in Germany.

Questions

Is Byteling free?

Yes. Byteling is free to download, and your first Byteling (one of three, your choice) stays free for good. The four others cost €10.99 each, €39.99 for all four in one purchase, or come with Byteling Plus (€5.99 a month or €39.99 a year, first 14 days free). No ads. These are the prices in Germany; the App Store shows the price for your country in your currency.

Does Byteling use AI?

Only on the device. Apple Intelligence can write the replies on an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, or on an iPad that has it. Everywhere else the Cozy Brain answers with lines we wrote by hand, without an AI model. A line under the chat field always says which one answers.

Does it need an internet connection?

No. The Cozy Brain, the AI on the device and the camera recognition all run on your device, so you can play offline. No conversation leaves it; only purchases go through the App Store.

Can my Byteling die?

No. It can get sleepy, but it is still there after weeks without a visit. In the default Cozy mode nothing turns into punishment. Only Classic mode has a deep sleep, and even then your Byteling wakes up with all its memories.

Do I need an account?

No. No account, no tracking, no analytics: the app collects no data. The replies are made on the iPhone, and your messages go to no server.

Which devices, and when does it come out?

iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later. Byteling comes out on the App Store on November 1, 2026, and you can pre-order it now. An Android version is planned, without a date.

More in the press kit and on the support page.