Physix Frontier badgePhysix Frontier
PublishChinese | EN

Physix Frontier · News Briefing Card (Hacker News · Oct 6, 2026)

Open-source Scrbbl app: scribble thrice on iPad for AI answers

KEY FACTS

  • Scrbbl is an iPad app that delivers AI answers after you write a question by hand with Apple Pencil and scribble it out three times.
  • Answers appear word by word in a handwriting font, and circling them yields a more detailed response.
  • The app sends images of your handwriting to OpenAI and supports web search for time-sensitive questions.
  • It offers two choices: a fast mode (GPT-6 Luna) and a smart mode (GPT-6.1 Sol).
  • The app is open source and requires iPadOS 17 or later, Xcode 26 or later, and an OpenAI API key.

KEY DATA

iPadOS 17Minimum OS requirement
26Required Xcode version
GPT-6 LunaFast mode model
GPT-6.1 SolSmart mode model

PHYSIX OBSERVATION

Scrbbl hides AI interaction inside the most natural pen-and-paper gesture, bypassing the chat box and turning handwritten notes directly into a Q&A entry point. It relies on users bringing their own API key, making it more of a geek toy than a mass-market product. But the intuitive gestures of scribbling and circling may foreshadow a future where AI blends more silently into the creative flow, rather than opening yet another app.

Source: Hacker News report