How to Connect Your AI API Keys on iPhone

Get Your API Keys

To start using LLMConnect, you will need to obtain the API keys from the model providers. Follow these guides to get them.

OpenAI

Access models like GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini, and o1

Account Setup

Step 1: Create an OpenAI account

  • Visit platform.openai.com and sign up
  • Provide email, name, and phone number
  • You can also use Google or Microsoft account
  • Verify your email address by clicking the verification link

Generate API Key

Step 2: Navigate to API Keys

  • Log in to your OpenAI account dashboard
  • Click your profile icon in the top-right corner
  • Select "View API Keys" from the dropdown menu

Step 3: Create new secret key

  • Click the "Create new secret key" button
  • Give your API key a descriptive name
  • Click "Create secret key"

Step 4: Save your API key

  • IMPORTANT: Copy the API key immediately
  • Store it securely (you won't see it again)
  • Keep it safe as it's required for API authentication

Billing Setup

Step 5: Set up payment (required)

  • Add a valid payment method to your account
  • Pre-purchase credits (required since March 2024)
  • Set monthly spending limits to control costs

Anthropic

Access Claude models from Anthropic

Account Setup

Step 1: Create Anthropic account

  • Visit console.anthropic.com
  • Click "Start Building" to create an account
  • Continue with Google or email (uses magic link authentication)
  • No username/password needed

Billing Setup

Step 2: Set up billing (required)

  • Navigate to Settings > Billing in the console
  • Add a credit card and purchase initial credits
  • Set up auto-reload if desired

Generate API Key

Step 3: Create API key

  • Click "Create Key" button
  • Choose a workspace ("default" is fine)
  • Give your key a descriptive name
  • Click "Create Key" to generate

Step 4: Save the key securely

  • IMPORTANT: Copy the key immediately (shown only once)
  • Store it securely in a password manager
  • The key is required for all API calls

OpenRouter

Access multiple AI models in one place

Account Setup

Step 1: Create OpenRouter account

  • Visit openrouter.ai
  • Click "Sign up with email/wallet"
  • Complete registration with your details
  • Accept terms of service and privacy policy

Add Credits (Optional)

Step 2: Add credits if needed

  • Visit openrouter.ai/account#credits
  • Click "Add Credits" if you have no balance
  • Enter billing information and purchase credits

Generate API Key

Step 3: Create API key

  • Visit openrouter.ai/keys and click "Create Key"
  • Assign a descriptive name to your API key
  • Set credit limit (or leave blank for unlimited)
  • Click "Create" to generate the key

Step 4: Save the key

  • Copy the generated secret key immediately
  • Store it securely (you won't see it again)
  • Use it for Authentication header in API calls

Groq

Access fast LLM inference with Groq

Account Setup

Step 1: Create Groq account

  • Visit console.groq.com
  • Click "Sign Up" if you don't have an account
  • Complete registration or log in if you have an account

Generate API Key

Step 2: Navigate to API Keys

  • From the left navigation panel, click "API Keys"
  • You'll see the API Keys management page

Step 3: Create new API key

  • Click the "Create API Key" button
  • Give your key a recognizable name (e.g., "My Project")
  • Click "Submit" to generate the key

Step 4: Save the key

  • IMPORTANT: Copy the generated key immediately
  • Store it securely (this is the only time you'll see it)
  • Configure as GROQ_API_KEY environment variable

Perplexity

Access Perplexity AI models with real-time search

Account Setup

Step 1: Create Perplexity account

  • Visit perplexity.ai and log in
  • Upgrade to Pro subscription (generally required for API access)
  • Add a valid payment method (cards, PayPal, Google Pay, etc.)

Add Credits

Step 2: Purchase API credits

  • Pro subscribers get monthly credits automatically
  • Go to Settings > API to view and add more credits
  • Configure "Automatic Top Up" to avoid interruptions

Generate API Key

Step 3: Create API key

  • Go to Settings and click the "</> API" tab
  • Click "+ Create Key" to generate a new API key
  • In API settings, click "Generate API Key"

Step 4: Save the key

  • Copy the generated alphanumeric string immediately
  • Store it securely like a password
  • Use it for API endpoint: https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions

DeepSeek

Access DeepSeek V3 and R1 reasoning models

Account Setup

Step 1: Create DeepSeek account

  • Visit DeepSeek Open Platform
  • Create a new account and verify your email
  • Log in to your account

Generate API Key

Step 2: Create API key

  • In the left sidebar, click "API Keys"
  • Click the "Create new API Key" button
  • Optionally assign a name to your key

Step 3: Save the key

  • IMPORTANT: Copy the API key immediately
  • Store it securely (won't be shown again)
  • If lost, you'll need to create a new one

Usage Notes

Available models and compatibility

  • Use model='deepseek-chat' for DeepSeek-V3
  • Use model='deepseek-reasoner' for DeepSeek-R1
  • API is OpenAI-compatible (use OpenAI SDK)
  • Base URL: https://api.deepseek.com

Grok (xAI)

Access xAI's Grok models with function calling

Account Setup

Step 1: Create xAI account

  • Visit console.x.ai from the xAI homepage
  • Click "Start building now" to begin
  • Sign in with Twitter, Google, or email/password

Generate API Key

Step 2: Create API key

  • Below the welcome message, click "Manage API keys"
  • You'll get both Access Key (public) and Secret Key (private)
  • Store your API keys securely

Step 3: Set up environment

  • Save API key in XAI_API_KEY environment variable
  • Test with a simple API call to verify setup
  • Base URL: https://api.x.ai/v1

Beta Benefits

Public beta features

  • Free API credits available during beta
  • Compatible with OpenAI and Anthropic SDKs
  • Supports function calling and system prompts

Google Gemini

Access Google's Gemini AI models and multimodal capabilities

Account Setup

Step 1: Sign in to Google AI Studio

  • Go to ai.google.dev/gemini-api
  • Click "Sign In to Google AI Studio"
  • Use your existing Google credentials or create new account

Generate API Key

Step 2: Create API key

  • Read and accept the informational pop-ups
  • Click the "Get API key" button (top left)
  • Click "Create API key" button

Step 3: Accept terms and generate

  • Accept Google APIs Terms of Service
  • Accept Gemini API Additional Terms of Service
  • Choose "Create API key in new project" or existing project

Step 4: Save the key

  • Copy the displayed API key immediately
  • Store it securely (only shown once)
  • Can be used with generativelanguage.googleapis.com

Important Notes

Security considerations

  • Don't use in client-side apps (security risk)
  • Free tier data may be used for training
  • Avoid sensitive data on free plan
  • Add API key restrictions in Google Cloud Console

Replicate

Run AI models with an API - image, text, and multimodal models

Account Setup

Step 1: Create Replicate account

  • Visit replicate.com
  • Click "Sign Up" to create an account
  • Or "Log In" if you already have one

Billing Setup

Step 2: Add billing information

  • Go to replicate.com/account/billing
  • Follow instructions to add billing information
  • Billing setup is required to use the API

Generate API Key

Step 3: Create API token

  • Click your profile icon in the top-right corner
  • Navigate to "API tokens" section
  • Enter a name for your API token and click "Create"

Step 4: Save the token

  • Copy the generated API token immediately
  • Store it securely (keep it secret)
  • Use it in Authorization header: Bearer r8_Hw...