Getting started

Your first page with Vrka.

Install the desktop app, sign in, and ask about whatever is on your screen.

Vrka answers on its own servers, so there is nothing else to set up: no API keys and no model downloads. Vrka is an invite-only free beta for people aged 13 and older: join the waitlist and we’ll email you an invitation with the download link.

Vrka desktop guide · Updated

Join the waitlist

01 / Before you start

Check your computer.

Mac
macOS 13.3 Ventura or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. One installer works on both.
Windows
Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11, 64-bit (x64). Coming soon.
Internet
Vrka needs a connection to answer questions.

You also need an invitation and a Vrka account, which you create the first time you open the app using the email address you were invited with. You must be 13 or older.

02 / Install

Make room for your next question.

Mac

  1. Open the download link in your invitation email and download the Mac installer.
  2. Open the DMG and drag Vrka into Applications.
  3. Eject the DMG, then open Vrka from Applications. macOS asks whether to open an app downloaded from the internet; choose Open.

Windows

Coming soon. Vrka for Windows is on its way; these steps apply once it is ready.

  1. Open the download link in your invitation email and download the Windows installer.
  2. Run it. It installs for your user account, so it does not ask for an administrator.
  3. While Vrka is new, Windows may show Windows protected your PC. Choose More info, check that the publisher is Ankit Anand, who operates Vrka, then choose Run anyway.

03 / First setup

Sign in and choose your screen.

  1. Create your account. Choose Sign up and enter your first and last name, email and a password, then enter the code Vrka emails you. Or choose Continue with Google and finish in your browser. Either way, tick the box confirming that you are 13 or older and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
  2. Allow what Vrka needs. On a Mac, Vrka asks for Screen Recording, so it can see the display you choose, and Microphone, so you can ask by voice. It also asks for Input Monitoring, so holding Right Option can start a voice question from any app; Vrka explains why before macOS asks. If you would rather not allow it, you can use Option+Space instead (see below). On Windows there is nothing to allow here.
  3. Choose a display. Pick the screen where you read. Vrka asks each time it starts.

A small round V button then appears in the lower-right corner of that display, above your other apps, even full-screen ones. Click it to open the Vrka panel. Press Escape or use the arrow to tuck it away.

Vrka stays signed in until you sign out. Your password is never saved on your computer.

04 / Your first question

Read. Ask. Take your turn.

  1. Bring the page into view on the display you chose. Hide anything private: Vrka sends a picture of that display with your question.
  2. Ask by voice. Hold Right Option on a Mac or Right Alt on Windows, speak, then let go. Vrka takes the picture when you let go. If you did not allow Input Monitoring on a Mac, press Option+Space to start, speak, and press it again to ask. Your voice is turned into text on your computer; the recording is not sent.
  3. Or type. Open the panel, type your question and press Enter. Shift+Enter starts a new line.
  4. Read and listen. Vrka shows its answer in the panel and speaks it. It often answers with a question of its own, so you can work through the idea together.
  5. Keep going. Vrka remembers your last few exchanges. Use New conversation to start fresh, Stop to end an answer, or Try again if something went wrong.

Answers can be wrong. Check important points against your course material.

What the panel may tell you

  • Vrka is warming up, try again shortly. Vrka’s model is being updated. Wait a minute and ask again.
  • Vrka is busy with another question. Each account asks one question at a time. Try again in a moment.
  • Vrka can’t be reached. Check your internet connection. Vrka checks again on its own while the panel is open.
  • Sign in to Vrka again to keep asking. Your sign-in ended; sign in from the main window.

05 / Your account

Sign out or delete your account.

Open the Account page in Vrka’s main window. Sign out closes the panel and clears the conversation. Delete account asks you to confirm, then deletes your account and its records. Read the privacy policy for what Vrka keeps.

On a Mac, closing the main window keeps the V button available. Choose Quit (Command-Q) to close Vrka completely.

06 / Keep up to date

Updates are installed by you.

  1. Download the latest installer from the same download page you used before.
  2. Quit Vrka.
  3. Install it the same way as above, replacing the existing app, then reopen Vrka.

Vrka never downloads or runs an installer on its own.

07 / Troubleshooting

Find your way back to the page.

Windows says “Windows protected your PC”.

Windows shows this for apps from new publishers. Make sure the file came from the vrka.ai download page in your invitation, choose More info, check that the publisher is Ankit Anand, then Run anyway. Follow your school or organisation’s rules, and do not turn off Windows protection.

The sign-up code does not arrive.

Check the email address and your spam folder, then use Resend code. You can correct the email address before verifying. Never send your password or code to anyone, including us.

Vrka sees a blank or wrong screen.

Check that the page is on the display you chose. On a Mac, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, make sure Vrka is on, then quit and reopen Vrka.

Holding the key does nothing.

On a Mac, open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring and make sure Vrka is on, then quit and reopen Vrka. Without Input Monitoring, press Option+Space to start a voice question and again to ask. You can always type your question in the panel instead.

On some Windows keyboard layouts, Right Alt types extra characters (AltGr). Vrka tells you when that is the case; type your question instead.

Vrka does not hear me.

On a Mac, check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. On Windows, check Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone. Then check that the right microphone is selected and not muted.

Vrka says it is warming up or busy.

Vrka is updating its model or answering your previous question. Wait a moment and ask again; nothing is wrong with your app.

08 / Get help

Tell us where you got stuck.

Email ankitanand@vrka.ai with your computer (Mac or Windows and its version), the step you tried and what you saw.

Keep passwords, sign-in codes and private study material out of your message. Read the privacy policy for how Vrka handles pictures of your screen, voice and your account.

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