Public beta in Q3 2026.
Lighthouse AAC is in active development. Sign up to be notified when the first families can install it.
How Lighthouse AAC will reach families.
A child’s ability to communicate should not depend on geopolitics. App stores are not neutral infrastructure; they block access in sanctioned regions and can become inaccessible during political unrest. We are building three layers of distribution so the app is available everywhere it is needed.
Apple App Store and Google Play.
The default path for families in markets where these stores work. Free, signed, automatic updates.
- Apple App StoreiPhone, iPad
- Google Play StoreAndroid phones, tablets, Chromebooks
Direct APK, F-Droid, and GitHub Releases.
For families in regions where Google Play and the App Store are unavailable, the app is published as a signed Android APK with a published SHA-256 checksum. F-Droid carries the open-source build for users who prefer the F-Droid catalog. GitHub Releases is the developer-facing source of truth.
- Direct APKSigned Android APK with SHA-256 checksum
- F-DroidOpen-source Android catalog
- GitHub ReleasesSource build per release
Device-to-device sharing.
Two things can move between devices with no internet, through the device's built-in share sheet. A family can send their child's vocabulary and board setup to another family, who imports it directly and offline. Sharing the app itself works device-to-device on Android as a signed APK; on iOS, installing the app goes through the App Store. This is the path that matters in refugee camps, in rural areas with intermittent connectivity, and in regions with strict network controls.
- BluetoothDevice-to-device
- Wi-Fi DirectLocal-network transfer
How to verify a download.
Every direct APK release ships with a SHA-256 checksum and a published signing key. We document how to compute the SHA-256 of your downloaded file and compare it to the value on this page, so you can confirm the file you have is the one we shipped. Sideloading instructions in Arabic and Spanish will be available at launch.
- SHA-256 checksum
- Published with each release
- Signing key fingerprint
- Published with first release
Open source from day one.
The full source code for Lighthouse AAC is released under the MIT license. You can read it, build it yourself, fork it, or contribute. The default vocabulary board uses the Fitzgerald Key color system and ARASAAC symbols.