Do I need to write a native iOS app?

No. Chirp is the iOS app. Your script, agent, or CI job submits bounded state to the API. A successful response proves acceptance; only the separate device receipt confirms that the Live Activity reached your phone.

Does this work without an Apple Developer account?

End users do not need their own Apple Developer account. Use only the signed App Store or TestFlight build linked by Chirp after that distribution is verified, then pair a reviewed CLI build.

Is there a free tier?

Chirp may offer a trial. App Store checkout and the server entitlement are the source of truth for current eligibility, price, and renewal terms.

May 6, 2026Automation4 min read

Lock-screen status for long-running jobs

Training runs, deploys, backups, and AI agents don't fit in a notification. They fit on the lock screen. Here's why we built Chirp around Live Activities instead of push.

If your work involves anything that runs longer than a coffee break — model training, a flaky deploy pipeline, a long-running scrape, an AI agent grinding through a backlog — you've felt the same friction. You start the job, switch to something else, and then spend the next hour pulling your laptop out of sleep to check whether it's still alive.

Push notifications don't fix this. They fire once and disappear. What you actually want is a small, persistent, glanceable surface that updates as the job progresses — and you want it where your hands already are. Your phone.

Why Live Activities, not push

iOS Live Activities pin a small UI to the lock screen and Dynamic Island for the duration of a real-world task. They're built for exactly this — the rideshare ETA, the food-delivery progress bar, the timer. There is no better surface for "how is my long thing going right now."

Glanceable: lock-screen visible without unlocking
Persistent: stays pinned until you (or the job) end it
Updateable: state changes push silently, no notification spam
Tappable: deep-link to your dashboard, run, or PR

What "if it runs, it can chirp" means

Chirp is designed around several surfaces: native templates, an API, repository connector recipes, and agent integrations. Some package-manager and marketplace distributions remain preview; check the integration catalog before installing.

Pick the surface that fits the job. The Live Activity on the other end looks the same.

Where to start

1Use the verified signed Chirp iPhone build (iOS 16.1+).
2Run `chirp login` to pair the device.
3Drop the SDK, CI step, or webhook into your existing job.
4Send one reversible test and verify API acceptance and the phone's delivery receipt as separate outcomes.

The Integrations page has a step-by-step walkthrough for each surface. Pick the one closest to where the job already lives — don't rewrite anything to accommodate Chirp.

Frequently asked

Do I need to write a native iOS app?: No. Chirp is the iOS app. Your script, agent, or CI job submits bounded state to the API. A successful response proves acceptance; only the separate device receipt confirms that the Live Activity reached your phone.
Does this work without an Apple Developer account?: End users do not need their own Apple Developer account. Use only the signed App Store or TestFlight build linked by Chirp after that distribution is verified, then pair a reviewed CLI build.
Is there a free tier?: Chirp may offer a trial. App Store checkout and the server entitlement are the source of truth for current eligibility, price, and renewal terms.