Take the Circassian dictionary fully offline. Both the Android and desktop apps work without an internet connection — you only need one to download the database (~242 MB) on first launch.
Android only · Version 1.1.0 · APK (~32 MB)
Download the APK and install it directly on your Android device. On first launch, tap "Download Dictionary (~242 MB)" to fetch the database once over Wi-Fi. After that, the app works fully offline — no internet needed for searches.
Standalone APK (recommended)
No automatic updates. Install a new APK when a new version is released.
Auto-Update APK
Receives bug fixes and UI updates automatically on next launch — no reinstall needed for JS-only changes.
Both APKs are identical in features. The only difference is that the Auto-Update variant checks for JavaScript updates (UI, search logic, bug fixes) on each launch via Expo EAS Update. Neither variant auto-updates native code — a new APK install is required for that.
Security prompt — expected
Android will ask you to allow installation from unknown sources since this app is not from the Play Store. This is safe to allow — see the explanation further down this page.
iOS users
iOS does not allow installing apps from outside the App Store. Please use the website dictionary instead — it works on all browsers including Safari on iPhone and iPad.
Windows · macOS · Linux · Version 0.3.0
A full desktop application with a two-panel layout, virtual keyboard, and multi-tab word detail view. Works entirely offline after the one-time database download. Searches across 35+ bilingual dictionaries.
View all downloads on GitHubLearn.Circassian.Desktop.Setup.0.3.0.Windows.exe
Installer (recommended)
Learn.Circassian.Desktop.0.3.0.Windows.Portable.zip
Portable (no install needed) · 112 MB
sha256: 1abbef9571a298c7f78bb98f4020a162fef3612d73c0c7e59e7a33b45d6c1e00
Windows SmartScreen may show "Windows protected your PC". Click "More info" → "Run anyway" to proceed. This is a false positive — see the section below.
Learn.Circassian.Desktop.0.3.0.macOS.dmg
Installer (recommended) · 99 MB
sha256: 652c9118d37423a555843d741ad79f0b83941e63ff382d99209f3622f7ee4c03
Learn.Circassian.Desktop.0.3.0.macOS.Portable.zip
Portable · 95.5 MB
sha256: e6f2cdea1b3a7797bc7f492b6c03c6e47672b27931f319ec5c79bab23f8e9ae5
macOS Gatekeeper may block the app with "cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software." Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → click "Open Anyway". This is a false positive — see the section below.
Learn.Circassian.Desktop.0.3.0.Linux.AppImage
Portable AppImage · 108 MB
sha256: fef850274b3681287f7bd097f40845f6476613a94200f1ee0c268f2bfd6c668d
Maintaining an app on the Google Play Store requires responding to monthly policy reviews — even when the app is working perfectly and nothing has changed. Missing a review deadline risks account closure and having the app removed entirely from the store, with no warning to existing users. This kind of ongoing maintenance pressure is not sustainable for a small open-source project.
For similar reasons, publishing on the Apple App Store requires an annual developer membership ($99/year) and Apple's review process for every update. Since iOS does not allow sideloading, iOS users should use the website — it is a first-class experience and works in all browsers.
By distributing directly through GitHub Releases, we can publish updates whenever they're ready, without approval processes or account risk. The full source code is open — you can inspect everything on GitHub before installing.
Because we distribute the app outside the official stores and without a paid code-signing certificate, Windows, macOS, and Android may show security warnings the first time you install it. These are false positives — the app is open source and you can read every line of code on GitHub. Here's how to proceed on each platform:
Android
Android will ask you to "Allow installs from unknown sources" because the app is not from the Play Store. Tap "More details" → "Install anyway". This is expected and safe.
Windows
If Windows SmartScreen appears, click "More info" → "Run anyway". SmartScreen shows this warning for any app without an expensive code-signing certificate, regardless of whether it's safe.
macOS
If macOS blocks the app, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click "Open Anyway". You may need to do this once after installation.
Linux
You may need to mark the AppImage as executable before running it. Right-click → Properties → check "Allow executing as program", or run: chmod +x *.AppImage
Everything is open source. Below are the repositories behind the dictionary data and apps — you can inspect, fork, or contribute to any of them.
Dictionary Database
The SQLite database (~242 MB) used by the website, desktop app, and Android app. Published as GitHub Release assets. This is what gets downloaded on first launch.
https://github.com/bihoqo/learn-circassian-dictionary-collection
Dictionary Converter
A Go pipeline that converts the raw dictionary data through 5 phases into the final SQLite database. Includes every transformation step — parsing, JSON normalisation, HTML conversion, and DB creation.
https://github.com/bihoqo/learn-circassian-dictionary-converter
Raw Dictionary Collection
The original source data for all 35+ dictionaries in three forms: rawData (untouched originals), organizedData (cleaned JSON), and organizedDataInHTML (the final HTML format used on the website). Because many dictionaries were originally in HTML with no consistent structure, all dictionaries were ultimately converted to HTML rather than JSON — it was the only practical approach to preserve the original formatting.
https://github.com/bihoqo/learn-circassian-raw-dictionary-collection
GitHub is where we publish our app releases. Here's a quick guide if you've never used it before — no GitHub account is required to download files.
Click one of the download buttons above. You'll land on a GitHub page — no GitHub account needed.
Scroll down past the release notes until you see a section labelled "Assets".
Click the small triangle (▶) next to "Assets" to expand it if it's collapsed.
Click the file that matches your device or operating system. Your browser will save it to your Downloads folder.
On Android: open the downloaded APK file and follow the on-screen prompts to install it. On desktop: run the installer or open the portable app directly from the folder.