iOS overview
Use Public on iPhone and iPad — bottom tabs, the Menu hub, and platform tips.
The iOS app uses the bundle ID in.publicapp.ios. Search the App Store for Public to install it when the listing is available — see Install the iOS app for step-by-step.
For what each feature does, see Features. This page covers iOS-specific navigation and platform behavior.
Bottom navigation
The app has up to 5 tabs in the bottom bar. Home and Menu stay pinned at the ends. You choose 1–3 middle tabs in Settings → Bottom tabs.
The default middle tabs are:
| Tab | What it opens |
|---|---|
| Pulse | Pulse — short portrait videos |
| Chats | Messages — DMs, groups, AI characters |
| Characters | AI characters |
Home opens your Feed. Menu is a hub of everything else. Items already pinned as middle tabs open there instead of stacking a new screen.
The Menu hub
Tap the Menu tab for a grid of secondary destinations, grouped into Discover, Content, Productivity, You, and Mini apps (when you have mini-apps).
Discover: Explore, People, Online now, Communities, Pages, Characters, Public AI.
Content: Saved, Pulse, Videos, Images, Polls, Quizzes, Q&A.
Productivity: To-do list, To-do groups, Time tools, Time groups, Passwords, Personas.
You: XP & levels, Leaderboard, Invite, Subscription.
The More button (ellipsis) in the Menu top bar holds account and policy links: Settings, About, Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, CSAE Policy, Refund Policy, Contact support, Help center, and Sign out.
The footer of the Menu screen shows Public for iOS X.Y.Z (build).
Top bar
The top bar of each screen changes with context:
- On Home — tap the title (wordmark or Following) to switch between Public and Following posts. The leading avatar opens your profile. Trailing icons open XP, the composer, and Notifications (with an unread badge on the bell).
- On most other screens — the screen title and back button.
System theme
Public follows your iOS appearance automatically. If your iPhone or iPad is in Dark Mode, Public is too. There's no in-app theme picker on iOS today.
Languages
Public supports 20 app languages, plus a System option that follows your device. Available languages: English, Hindi, Russian, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Turkish, Spanish, Arabic, French, Portuguese (Brazil), Japanese, German, Korean, Italian, Dutch, Persian (Farsi), Thai, Swahili, Malay, Polish.
To change the app's language: open Settings → App language inside Public.
For Arabic and Persian, the layout switches to right-to-left. See Language and RTL.
iOS-specific topics
- App updates — how Public prompts you to update.
- Deep links — public.kim URLs open the app.
- Permissions — what Public can ask for and why.
Need help?
Common questions
- Where do I download the iOS app?
- Search the App Store for Public (bundle ID in.publicapp.ios). See Install the iOS app under Getting started.
- Which permissions does Public need on iOS?
- Public can ask for Notifications, Camera, Photos, Microphone, Face ID (password vault), Speech recognition, Contacts, and Tracking. Each is requested only when a feature needs it.