JParty v2.5.1

JParty 2.5.1

Choose and download local AI models directly in JParty, with clearer settings and automatic readiness checks. No AI models are included in the desktop downloads.

Downloads

• macOS arm64: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 11 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• macOS x64: Intel Mac, macOS 11 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• Windows x64: Windows 10/11. Extract the whole ZIP and launch JParty/JParty.exe; keep _internal alongside it.
• Linux x64: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or a compatible desktop distribution. Extract the whole tar.gz and run JParty/JParty; keep _internal alongside it. Audio and Qt require your distribution's normal ALSA and graphics libraries.

Mac downloads must pass Developer ID signing, Apple notarization, and Gatekeeper verification before this release is published. Windows executables are not Authenticode signed.

What changed

• Settings → Local Services → Local AI model lists installed Ollama models and their sizes. Choose a model and save; no restart is required. Missing models and an offline Ollama installation are explained without changing your selection.
• Install Ollama opens the official installer instructions for your platform. Open/Start Ollama starts an existing installation. Ollama runs models; the dropdown chooses the model JParty uses.
• Download a model… offers Qwen 2.5 7B (about 4.7 GB), Qwen 2.5 3B (about 1.9 GB), and an advanced option for other Ollama text-model names. Downloads show progress, can be cancelled and retried, and continue while Settings is closed. Save after a download to apply your choice.
• All five settings tabs use matching cards, headings, aligned fields, accessible switches, and visible dropdown arrows. Team mode follows the same layout.
• Settings → Images → Find replacement images with Pexels requires a running local text model and a Pexels API key. It uses local AI to write stock-photo search terms for missing clue images. Image search pauses during local AI outages and resumes automatically; an OpenAI key no longer enables this feature or supplies a cloud fallback.
• Native macOS Personal Voice permission requests and voice discovery are available in Host voice settings. This requires macOS 14 or later on supported hardware. Permission and audio-file playback through the separate Say bridge remain separate; see PERSONAL_VOICE_AUTOHOST.md.
• Keeps in-app updates, manual and optional Auto Host modes, phone buzzers, team play, themes, smaller audio assets, and video playback.

Updating

JParty 2.5.0 users can use Settings → Game → Updates, then Download update and Restart to update from the lobby. Earlier versions need a manual installation. Settings, game history, API keys, and downloaded local models remain in their existing locations.

Local text AI now uses Ollama on this computer at http://localhost:11434/v1. A previously configured custom text-server address stays saved until you save Settings, which replaces it with the Ollama address. Speech recognition, voice, and Kev retain their separate endpoint settings.

Optional local AI Auto Host

Manual hosting works immediately without downloading models. Cloud Auto Host requires your own OpenAI API key.

Ollama installation guidance and in-app model downloads work on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Downloading a text model does not install speech recognition, host voices, or Kev. Internet access and several GB of free space may be required for downloads.

On macOS, choose your local model and voice, save, and use Local Services → Set up for the full local Auto Host stack. Homebrew must already be installed for this full-stack setup from the GUI. Use Start services and check component status before starting an Auto Host game. Setup/start/stop and model downloads cannot run at the same time.

On Windows and Linux, manage speech recognition and speech synthesis services separately. Full-stack setup/start/stop helpers remain macOS-only. See FULL_LOCAL_AUTOHOST.md and AUTOHOST.md for details.

Executable bundles include Python and Qt. They do not include model weights, API keys, your saved settings, or your game history. The iOS Xcode project is available in the repository and source archives; no installable iOS app is attached.

JParty v2.5.0 — In-app updates

JParty 2.5.0

One desktop app, with optional local AI Auto Host. No AI models are included in these downloads.

Downloads

• macOS arm64: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 11 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• Windows x64: Windows 10/11. Extract the whole ZIP and launch JParty/JParty.exe; keep _internal alongside it.
• Linux x64: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or a compatible desktop distribution. Extract the whole tar.gz and run JParty/JParty; keep _internal alongside it. Audio and Qt require your distribution's normal ALSA and graphics libraries.

The macOS app is signed with an Apple Developer ID, notarized by Apple, and includes a stapled notarization ticket. Windows executables are not Authenticode signed.

Intel Mac download omitted for v2.5.0 because its notarization verification did not pass. Intel Mac users can continue using v2.4.7.

What changed

• Automatic update checks with a lobby notice and Settings → Game → Updates controls. JParty always asks before downloading; choose Download update, then Restart to update from the lobby. Games keep running until you choose to restart.
• Downloads are verified against GitHub's SHA-256 digest. Mac updates also require the same Developer ID signature and Gatekeeper acceptance. The previous app copy is retained until the new version opens successfully; failed replacement restores it.
• Downloaded updates remain ready if you close and reopen JParty. Settings, game history, API keys, and local AI models stay in their existing locations.
• Auto Host now has a clear On/Off toggle, with Off as the default. Existing saved preferences are respected.
• Keeps the smaller audio assets, working phone signatures, all themes, team features, video playback, and optional local AI Auto Host.

Install this version manually once to enable future in-app updates. Updates use the full release archive and require space for the new and previous app copies. Keep the app in a writable folder; Mac users should move it to Applications before updating.
The updated iOS Xcode project is included in the repository and source archives. This release's executable downloads are the three desktop builds listed above; there is no installable iOS app attached.

Optional local AI Auto Host

Manual hosting works immediately without downloading models. Cloud Auto Host requires your own OpenAI API key.

On macOS, open Settings → Auto Host, select the local provider and voice, save, then use Settings → Local Services → Set up. Setup downloads the selected models and installs the local tools. Homebrew must already be installed for setup from the GUI. Model downloads may total several GB. Use Start services and Check status before starting an Auto Host game. See the included FULL_LOCAL_AUTOHOST.md for details.

On Windows and Linux, the app can connect to externally managed OpenAI-compatible local LLM, speech recognition, and speech synthesis services. The automatic setup/start/stop helpers are currently macOS-only. Configure service URLs under Local Services; select a compatible voice/model for your platform. See AUTOHOST.md for the endpoint interfaces.

Executable bundles include Python and Qt. They do not include model weights, API keys, your saved settings, or your game history.

JParty v2.4.7 — Signature pad fix

JParty 2.4.7

One desktop app, with optional local AI Auto Host. No AI models are included in these downloads.

Downloads

• macOS arm64: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 11 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• macOS x64: Intel Macs, macOS 12 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• Windows x64: Windows 10/11. Extract the whole ZIP and launch JParty/JParty.exe; keep _internal alongside it.
• Linux x64: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or a compatible desktop distribution. Extract the whole tar.gz and run JParty/JParty; keep _internal alongside it. Audio and Qt require your distribution's normal ALSA and graphics libraries.

The macOS apps are signed with an Apple Developer ID, notarized by Apple, and include a stapled notarization ticket. Windows executables are not Authenticode signed.

What changed

• Fix personal name signatures on the phone registration screen. The individual signature pad now attaches to its own canvas instead of the hidden team drawing canvas.
• Personal and team drawings remain independent, including their clear and undo controls. The fix supports individual and team mode, with manual hosting or Auto Host.
• Verified touch input, visible drawing, Clear, Undo, viewport resizing, and registration in iPhone-sized Chromium and WebKit sessions.
• Keeps the smaller audio assets and all existing themes, team features, video playback, and optional local AI Auto Host.

The updated iOS Xcode project is included in the repository and source archives. This release's executable downloads are the four desktop builds listed above; there is no installable iOS app attached.

Optional local AI Auto Host

Manual hosting works immediately without downloading models. Cloud Auto Host requires your own OpenAI API key.

On macOS, open Settings → Auto Host, select the local provider and voice, save, then use Settings → Local Services → Set up. Setup downloads the selected models and installs the local tools. Homebrew must already be installed for setup from the GUI. Model downloads may total several GB. Use Start services and Check status before starting an Auto Host game. See the included FULL_LOCAL_AUTOHOST.md for details.

On Windows and Linux, the app can connect to externally managed OpenAI-compatible local LLM, speech recognition, and speech synthesis services. The automatic setup/start/stop helpers are currently macOS-only. Configure service URLs under Local Services; select a compatible voice/model for your platform. See AUTOHOST.md for the endpoint interfaces.

Executable bundles include Python and Qt. They do not include model weights, API keys, your saved settings, or your game history.

JParty v2.4.6 — Smaller downloads

JParty 2.4.6

One desktop app, with optional local AI Auto Host. No AI models are included in these downloads.

Downloads

• macOS arm64: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 11 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• macOS x64: Intel Macs, macOS 12 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• Windows x64: Windows 10/11. Extract the whole ZIP and launch JParty/JParty.exe; keep _internal alongside it.
• Linux x64: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or a compatible desktop distribution. Extract the whole tar.gz and run JParty/JParty; keep _internal alongside it. Audio and Qt require your distribution's normal ALSA and graphics libraries.

The macOS apps are signed with an Apple Developer ID, notarized by Apple, and include a stapled notarization ticket. Windows executables are not Authenticode signed.

What changed

• Smaller downloads: theme audio now occupies about 25 MiB instead of 198 MiB before archive compression.
• Intro and Final Jeopardy music use 192 kbps MP3, with identical recordings shared between themes. Short sound effects keep their original lossless WAV audio.
• Theme music streams through the included Qt Multimedia player, preserving looping lobby music, Final Jeopardy playback, mute, and stop controls. No additional player or codec installation is required.
• Standalone build checks now verify every shared audio file and decode all seven distinct music tracks using the packaged Qt audio decoder before publishing.
• All existing themes, team features, video playback, and optional local AI Auto Host remain included.
• Release tests and Apple Silicon builds use supported macOS 15 runners, replacing the retiring macOS 14 image.
• Local Kev readiness checks use its bound IPv4 loopback address and bypass HTTP proxies.

The updated iOS Xcode project is included in the repository and source archives. This release's executable downloads are the four desktop builds listed above; there is no installable iOS app attached.

Optional local AI Auto Host

Manual hosting works immediately without downloading models. Cloud Auto Host requires your own OpenAI API key.

On macOS, open Settings → Auto Host, select the local provider and voice, save, then use Settings → Local Services → Set up. Setup downloads the selected models and installs the local tools. Homebrew must already be installed for setup from the GUI. Model downloads may total several GB. Use Start services and Check status before starting an Auto Host game. See the included FULL_LOCAL_AUTOHOST.md for details.

On Windows and Linux, the app can connect to externally managed OpenAI-compatible local LLM, speech recognition, and speech synthesis services. The automatic setup/start/stop helpers are currently macOS-only. Configure service URLs under Local Services; select a compatible voice/model for your platform. See AUTOHOST.md for the endpoint interfaces.

Executable bundles include Python and Qt. They do not include model weights, API keys, your saved settings, or your game history.

JParty v2.4.3 — Player-created teams

JParty 2.4.3

One desktop app, with optional local AI Auto Host. No AI models are included in these downloads.

Downloads

• macOS arm64: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 11 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• macOS x64: Intel Macs, macOS 12 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• Windows x64: Windows 10/11. Extract the whole ZIP and launch JParty/JParty.exe; keep _internal alongside it.
• Linux x64: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or a compatible desktop distribution. Extract the whole tar.gz and run JParty/JParty; keep _internal alongside it. Audio and Qt require your distribution's normal ALSA and graphics libraries.

The macOS apps are signed with an Apple Developer ID, notarized by Apple, and include a stapled notarization ticket. Windows executables are not Authenticode signed.

What changed

• Players create or join teams on their phones. Team creators type and draw their team name separately from their individual name and signature; hosts no longer need to set up teams.
• Saving a team-mode change in Settings restarts JParty and remembers the selected mode. Players join again after the restart.
• Team podiums show the team's shared score and drawn name, with the answering person's own name and signature underneath.
• The phone team/score strip is more compact, and lobby team changes expand only when needed. The iOS client's embedded browser also has a compact toolbar with a Game options menu.
• Team creation validates names and drawings, handles simultaneous duplicate names, cancels pending start countdowns when rosters change, and respects the eight-team and 32-player limits.
• Registration now correctly handles team names containing “BUZZ”.
• Mac release builds retry notarization ticket attachment and validation, with detailed ticket diagnostics if verification fails.

The updated iOS Xcode project is included in the repository and source archives. This release's executable downloads are the four desktop builds listed above; there is no installable iOS app attached.

Optional local AI Auto Host

Manual hosting works immediately without downloading models. Cloud Auto Host requires your own OpenAI API key.

On macOS, open Settings → Auto Host, select the local provider and voice, save, then use Settings → Local Services → Set up. Setup downloads the selected models and installs the local tools. Homebrew must already be installed for setup from the GUI. Model downloads may total several GB. Use Start services and Check status before starting an Auto Host game. See the included FULL_LOCAL_AUTOHOST.md for details.

On Windows and Linux, the app can connect to externally managed OpenAI-compatible local LLM, speech recognition, and speech synthesis services. The automatic setup/start/stop helpers are currently macOS-only. Configure service URLs under Local Services; select a compatible voice/model for your platform. See AUTOHOST.md for the endpoint interfaces.

Executable bundles include Python and Qt. They do not include model weights, API keys, your saved settings, or your game history.

JParty v2.4.1 — Teams and optional local Auto Host

JParty 2.4.1

One desktop app, with optional local AI Auto Host. No AI models are included in these downloads.

Downloads

• macOS arm64: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 11 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• macOS x64: Intel Macs, macOS 12 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• Windows x64: Windows 10/11. Extract the whole ZIP and launch JParty/JParty.exe; keep _internal alongside it.
• Linux x64: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or a compatible desktop distribution. Extract the whole tar.gz and run JParty/JParty; keep _internal alongside it. Audio and Qt require your distribution's normal ALSA and graphics libraries.

The macOS apps are signed with an Apple Developer ID, notarized by Apple, and include a stapled notarization ticket. Windows executables are not Authenticode signed.

What changed

• Mac releases now use Developer ID signing, hardened runtime, Apple notarization, and Gatekeeper verification.
• Team mode supports 2–8 teams and up to 32 individual phone buzzers, shared scores, team lockouts, and one Final Jeopardy entry per team.
• Team setup has its own redesigned Settings tab, with a team editor and roster recovery controls.
• Phone dependencies ship with the app rather than requiring public CDNs.
• Local Auto Host includes service status, setup/start/stop controls, local answer judging, and shared start countdowns.
• Local media playback and score/statistics views support the updated game flow.

Optional local AI Auto Host

Manual hosting works immediately without downloading models. Cloud Auto Host requires your own OpenAI API key.

On macOS, open Settings → Auto Host, select the local provider and voice, save, then use Settings → Local Services → Set up. Setup downloads the selected models and installs the local tools. Homebrew must already be installed for setup from the GUI. Model downloads may total several GB. Use Start services and Check status before starting an Auto Host game. See the included FULL_LOCAL_AUTOHOST.md for details.

On Windows and Linux, the app can connect to externally managed OpenAI-compatible local LLM, speech recognition, and speech synthesis services. The automatic setup/start/stop helpers are currently macOS-only. Configure service URLs under Local Services; select a compatible voice/model for your platform. See AUTOHOST.md for the endpoint interfaces.

Executable bundles include Python and Qt. They do not include model weights, API keys, your saved settings, or your game history.

JParty v2.4.0 — Teams and optional local Auto Host

JParty 2.4.0

One desktop app, with optional local AI Auto Host. No AI models are included in these downloads.

Downloads

• macOS arm64: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), macOS 11 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• macOS x64: Intel Macs, macOS 12 or newer. Extract the ZIP and drag JParty.app to Applications.
• Windows x64: Windows 10/11. Extract the whole ZIP and launch JParty/JParty.exe; keep _internal alongside it.
• Linux x64: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or a compatible desktop distribution. Extract the whole tar.gz and run JParty/JParty; keep _internal alongside it. Audio and Qt require your distribution's normal ALSA and graphics libraries.

The macOS apps are ad-hoc signed, not Apple Developer ID signed or notarized. Windows executables are not Authenticode signed.

What changed

• Team mode supports 2–8 teams and up to 32 individual phone buzzers, shared scores, team lockouts, and one Final Jeopardy entry per team.
• Team setup has its own redesigned Settings tab, with a team editor and roster recovery controls.
• Phone dependencies ship with the app rather than requiring public CDNs.
• Local Auto Host includes service status, setup/start/stop controls, local answer judging, and shared start countdowns.
• Local media playback and score/statistics views support the updated game flow.

Optional local AI Auto Host

Manual hosting works immediately without downloading models. Cloud Auto Host requires your own OpenAI API key.

On macOS, open Settings → Auto Host, select the local provider and voice, save, then use Settings → Local Services → Set up. Setup downloads the selected models and installs the local tools. Homebrew must already be installed for setup from the GUI. Model downloads may total several GB. Use Start services and Check status before starting an Auto Host game. See the included FULL_LOCAL_AUTOHOST.md for details.

On Windows and Linux, the app can connect to externally managed OpenAI-compatible local LLM, speech recognition, and speech synthesis services. The automatic setup/start/stop helpers are currently macOS-only. Configure service URLs under Local Services; select a compatible voice/model for your platform. See AUTOHOST.md for the endpoint interfaces.

Executable bundles include Python and Qt. They do not include model weights, API keys, your saved settings, or your game history.

AI Auto Host

Adds AI-auto-host v1 with OpenAI API (play w/ an AI host instead of a human), new custom game builder, and many bug fixes.

• open the game before connecting 2nd monitor
• mute/unmute opening music
• changed Pyinstaller to one directory instead of one file = faster performance