The EdgeTal TestFlight beta is now open, giving recruiters early access to the EdgeTal iOS app on iPhone. Built for solo recruiters and boutique agencies, EdgeTal combines candidate sourcing, CV screening and on-device AI in one mobile recruiting app. Candidate data stays on the device while you search by meaning, review matches and explore candidate fit.
How to Join the EdgeTal TestFlight Beta
Joining the beta is straightforward.
Request early access using the email address connected to your iCloud or Apple ID, and an Apple TestFlight invitation will be sent to you. The iOS beta guide contains the current requirements and installation instructions, so that remains the best place to go for the actual setup process.
Once installed, you can start importing candidates, building your private candidate pool and testing searches.
What You Can Do in the EdgeTal TestFlight Beta
The EdgeTal TestFlight beta gives you access to the main candidate sourcing and screening features without needing a desktop setup.
| Task | How it works |
|---|---|
| Build a private candidate pool | Candidates stay on your phone |
| Import CVs | Import from CSV, URL or a local file |
| Search in plain language | Semantic search finds candidates by meaning rather than exact keywords |
| Review match results | See a match percentage and the parts of a profile that matched |
| Improve searches | AI Assist turns a vague search into a clearer one |
| Analyse candidate fit | Review skills, experience, education and certifications |
| Give feedback | Mark whether search results were useful |
The idea is fairly simple: you should be able to take a candidate pool with you, search it from your phone and quickly understand which candidates are worth looking at more closely.
For a solo recruiter or small agency, that can be useful when candidate sourcing doesn't happen neatly at a desk. You might be travelling between client meetings, working remotely or simply want to check a shortlist without opening a full recruitment system.
01. Import Your Candidate CVs
The first step is building your candidate pool.
The beta lets you import CVs through CSV, a URL or a local file. Once candidates are imported, their information can be processed on the device and used for semantic search.
This means you aren't limited to searching for an exact phrase that appears in a CV.
For example, instead of searching only for a specific job title, you could describe the type of experience you're looking for in normal language. Semantic search then looks at the meaning of the candidate information rather than relying entirely on matching individual keywords.
For recruiters who spend a lot of time on CV screening, this can make the initial search more flexible.
02. Search Candidates Using Natural Language
Traditional candidate searches often depend heavily on keywords. If you don't use the right term, a potentially relevant candidate can be easy to miss.
EdgeTal takes a different approach.
Its semantic search lets you describe what you're looking for in plain language. The system then compares that requirement against the information in your candidate pool. The results also include a match percentage and information about which part of the candidate profile matched.
That matters because a recruiter needs more than a number. If someone appears near the top of a shortlist, you still need to understand why they're there.
The purpose isn't to make the AI decide who should be hired. It's to make it quicker for you to find candidates worth reviewing.
03. Use AI Assist When Your Search Is Too Vague
Sometimes you know what you're looking for but don't quite know how to phrase the search. That's where AI Assist comes in.
You can start with a rough description and use AI Assist to turn it into a clearer search. Instead of spending time figuring out the best wording, you can let the tool help structure the request before running the search.
For recruiters, this is a relatively small feature, but it addresses a common problem with AI recruiting tools: knowing what to ask in the first place.
04. Look More Closely at Individual Candidates
Finding a candidate is only the first part of the process.
Once someone looks relevant, you still need to understand their background. EdgeTal's “Analyse fit with AI” feature looks across areas such as:
- Skills
- Experience
- Education
- Certifications
This gives you a quicker way to review the information that matters when deciding whether someone deserves a closer look.
The important distinction is that the recruiter remains responsible for the decision. The AI is there to organise and surface information, not make the final hiring decision for you.
Why On-Device AI Matters in a Hiring App
One of the main differences between EdgeTal and other forms of recruitment technology is where the AI processing happens.
EdgeTal uses on-device AI. Its private LLM runs locally on the phone rather than sending candidate information to a cloud AI service for processing.
Once the model has been downloaded, EdgeTal can also work offline.
For recruiters, that has a practical benefit. Candidate sourcing and CV screening don't necessarily need to stop just because you're away from your desk or don't have a reliable connection.
It also changes how candidate data is handled.
Instead of building the workflow around uploading CVs to a remote AI service, EdgeTal is designed around keeping candidate information on the recruiter's device. For recruiters who are particularly conscious of privacy and data residency, that's an important part of the product's architecture.
Who Is the EdgeTal App For?
The EdgeTal iOS app is currently aimed at recruiters who want to test an early version of this workflow and provide feedback.
It may be particularly useful for:
- Solo recruiters who manage their own candidate sourcing and screening
- Small recruitment agencies that don't need a large platform for every part of their workflow
- Recruiters who want an AI recruiting tool that works directly from their phone
- Recruiters who prefer candidate information to remain on their device
- Early adopters who are comfortable testing beta software and reporting issues
For UK recruiters working across multiple client searches, a mobile workflow can also be useful when candidate sourcing doesn't happen entirely from a desk.
It isn't intended to replace a full ATS or recruiting CRM. EdgeTal has a narrower focus: helping recruiters find, search and understand candidates.
What You Should Expect From the Beta
The EdgeTal TestFlight version is still beta software, so it isn't a finished public release.
You may come across rough edges, bugs or features that are still being refined. That's part of the reason for opening the beta to recruiters now: real-world feedback helps determine what needs to be improved before wider release.
One feature to be particularly clear about is the plain language “why this match” explanation. The feature is confirmed and in progress, but it isn't fully live in the current beta.
The current search results can show the match percentage and the relevant matching fields, but you shouldn't expect the complete natural-language explanation yet.
Conclusion
The EdgeTal TestFlight beta gives recruiters an early look at a mobile-first approach to candidate sourcing and screening. You can import CVs, search your candidate pool using natural language, analyse candidate fit and test on-device AI without sending candidate CVs to a cloud AI pipeline. It's built for recruiters who want a simpler way to work from their phone while keeping control of their candidate data.
FAQs
What is the EdgeTal TestFlight beta?
The EdgeTal TestFlight beta gives recruiters early access to the EdgeTal iOS app on iPhone, including candidate importing, semantic search, AI-assisted search and candidate fit analysis.
How do I join the EdgeTal TestFlight beta?
Recruiters can request early access using the email address connected to their iCloud or Apple ID. An Apple TestFlight invitation is then sent with access to the beta.
Can EdgeTal work offline?
Yes. Once the EdgeTal AI model has been downloaded, the app can work offline for its supported AI features.
Does EdgeTal send candidate CVs to the cloud?
No. EdgeTal processes candidate CV data used for its AI features directly on the recruiter's device rather than sending the CVs to a cloud AI service for processing.