Macaron playbook

Replika Review: AI Companion, Memory and Privacy

Replika is an adult AI-companion service for recurring conversation, not care from a person or clinician. Before paying for memory or media features, confirm the offer for your account version and device. Memory controls can remove a remembered detail, while the provider says clearing the entire chat history requires account deletion.

By MacaronOperated by MINDAI PTE. LTD.

What Is Replika and Who Uses It?

Replika suits someone seeking recurring conversation, a customizable companion and a sense of continuity. Decide what role you want an AI to play before paying for additional features. An engaging interaction is not evidence that the system understands you as a person or can meet every emotional need.

Replika's terms require adults aged at least 18, or the local age of majority if higher. That condition belongs in the choice of a companion service, not just in a footer. Replika is an AI companion and is not medical or mental-health care.

Public website check. Replika's public page links to its iOS and Android app; it does not expose private chat behavior. Official source.

Conversation, Memory and Customization Reviewed

Replika emphasizes memory, customization, calls and other companion features. Continuity is part of its proposition, while Macaron also offers personal tool creation. Compare the interaction and controls you need, and check important recollections rather than treating generated memory as a verified record.

Memory controls and message-history deletion are different decisions. The current help article directs users to Memory to view, update or remove remembered details, but says the entire conversation history cannot be deleted on its own without deleting the account. It describes account deletion as irreversible. Removing one remembered preference therefore should not be described as erasing the corresponding conversation or all retained service data.

For an ordinary fictional hobby preference, inspect whether the remembered detail is accurate and use the documented memory controls if it is not. If your requirement is a particular deletion or retention outcome, confirm the applicable version's policy before entering sensitive information. This review read the help article; it did not change or delete an account, test erasure, or independently verify the provider's privacy assurances.

Check which kind of removal the control actually performs

Replika's deletion help distinguishes a remembered item from conversation history. A reader deciding what to share should ask about the data object, not just whether a Delete button exists:

Intended change	Published control or limit	What remains unverified here
Fix a mistaken remembered preference	Review, update or remove it under Memory.	Whether the original chat text and all service copies disappear.
Remove one prior conversation while keeping the account	The help says the entire conversation history cannot be deleted separately.	Any account-version exception or later policy change.
End the account	Account deletion is described as irreversible.	The timing and completeness of provider-side erasure.

The tier decision is separate: a paid voice or memory feature does not expand a user's ability to erase old conversation history. Check platform, version and current offer before subscribing. We did not enter private messages or perform a deletion test.

A concrete reason to check privacy and age controls

The European Data Protection Board's summary of an Italian regulator decision records a 2025 decision imposing a €5 million fine on Replika's operator. The regulator found that, up to 2 February 2023, the company lacked an identified legal basis for its processing, provided an inadequate privacy notice, and had no age verification despite excluding minors. It also found deficiencies in the age-checking system assessed at the time of that decision. This is a historical regulatory finding, not evidence that every issue persists in the current app or every region. Before a personal conversation, check today's age rules, privacy notice and in-app deletion controls; do not assume removing a remembered detail removes the full chat history. We did not test deletion or age verification in an account.

Paywalls, Emotional Reliance and Privacy

Free Use gives limited access. Pro adds relationship settings, premium activities and voice or media features; Ultra adds features such as saving messages to memory, while Platinum adds capabilities including real-time video recognition. The help center says prices appear in the app and relevant store. Review permissions and avoid sensitive details. Keep real-world support: a paid AI relationship is not clinical care or a human relationship.

The help center describes these tiers, but the terms distinguish product versions, platforms and countries, including differences in features and memory systems. Treat these tier descriptions as the documented help-center scope, then confirm the version and offer in your own account. It is not a verified entitlement map for every classic or Replika 2.0 account.

The support guide adds a material platform condition: Ultra features are mobile-only. If a promised Pro/Ultra feature is missing, it directs users to Settings → Version History and to check the app version. An AR feature also depends on device AR support; paying for a tier is not enough to make an unsupported device eligible.

For the documented Platinum scope, the help lists Training Mode up to 100 times a week and Read Replika's Mind up to 50 messages a week. It also lists up to ten realistic selfie videos without specifying a reset period in that description, so this review does not label that video allowance weekly. No model of emotional understanding or conversation-quality advantage is inferred from these entitlements.

For an eligible adult, begin with the interaction and controls in the actual account version. Consider a paid tier only for an entitlement shown for that version, platform and country; the help-center tier list is not a universal checkout promise. If the aim is organizing a hobby action, a focused activity list is enough for that narrower task. If the need is clinical care or crisis support, neither a paid companion nor a personal organizer is the relevant service.

Companion or Toolmaker: How Macaron's Personal Agent Differs

Open Macaron chat to adapt the request below. Review account access and plan conditions before creating a tool.

Choose the role you want an AI to play

Use a companion for the interaction you want, while keeping real-world support and time boundaries. If practical follow-through is the problem, a small activity tool may help. Neither a remembered detail nor a subscription establishes a human relationship or clinical expertise.

Sample request

"Build a fictional hobby-and-action list with entry ID, my own note, an optional next step, optional date and planned/done/unrecorded status, changing only the selected entry and never inventing past conversations, a relationship history, a diagnosis or a therapy plan."

Suggested fields: Chosen activity; next action; selected date; completion; own reflection.

Proposed checks with fictional data:

Adapt the request in Macaron using only fictional, non-identifying data.
Check each input and edit below against the expected result.
Correct the stated behavior before entering personal information; use a manual record if the draft cannot preserve it.

Fictional input or edit	Expected result to check	If it differs
Enter a fictional hobby note with no next step	Valid note; action remains optional	Do not manufacture a task to complete the record
Add one chosen action to that entry	Only that entry changes	Keep another hobby's action separate
Edit a mistaken note	The correction replaces the premise for that entry	Do not present the old note as a remembered fact

Illustrative companion-versus-tool comparison: a conversation about starting a hobby may feel supportive, while an activity list gives you a next step to try.

A fictional hobby note can support a chosen next action without inventing a past conversation. If a remembered preference is wrong, correct the premise before asking for the next plan rather than letting apparent continuity become evidence that the system knows your history.

Which workflow fits your needs?

Need	Replika	Macaron example
Main purpose	An ongoing AI-companion experience	A personal agent with conversation and mini-app creation
What you work with	Companion customization and supported interaction modes	A practical tool around a daily-life task you describe

AI companionship is not a substitute for professional mental-health care or human support. Macaron may process prompts with third-party AI providers; minimize sensitive personal details.

Next step

Explore Macaron for a personal tool you can adapt to this task.

Scope and source notes

How this review was checked: Review prepared with AI for Macaron. This article evaluates cited sources and any limited public-site checks stated in the text; no core in-app task or proposed Macaron mini-app was tested.

Review scope: Replika’s AI-companion interactions and subscription options. The Macaron example tracks a chosen practical action; neither product is represented as a human clinician.

Sources reviewed: last updated November 5, 2026. Product details may change; confirm current information with the provider.

Source	Supported scope and limitation
Replika Terms of Service	Provider terms and stated access/data boundaries; not an independent compliance audit
Choosing a Subscription	Published plan, feature or billing conditions; account offer and region may differ; provider-described tier limits and purchase-channel conditions; video reset period not inferred
Can I delete my conversations?	Memory management versus conversation-history/account deletion; no deletion test
What to do if Pro/Ultra features aren’t showing up	Ultra mobile-only, Version History and AR device conditions; no account configuration performed
Italian Replika decision summary — European Data Protection Board	2025 regulator decision covering earlier unlawful processing, notices and age verification; does not independently establish current-app compliance status

Corrections: contact@macaron.im.

FAQ

Who is eligible for the Replika use discussed here?

Adults at least eighteen, or the local age of majority if higher, under the cited terms; it is not medical or mental-health care.

Does deleting a Replika memory delete the corresponding chat history?

The cited help treats Memory controls and conversation history separately; do not assume one removes the other.

Can Replika's complete message history be cleared while retaining the account?

The current help article says the full history cannot be deleted on its own without account deletion, which it describes as irreversible. Removing a remembered detail is a separate control. Read the applicable deletion and retention terms before acting.

Does the hobby-and-action example replace an AI companion or therapist?

It is a narrower manual record of your notes and chosen actions, not a human relationship or clinical service.

What would a Macaron hobby list do beside Replika?

The proposed list records your own hobby note, optional next step and date. It helps turn an idea into an action without claiming a continuing companion relationship, emotional memory or an import of Replika conversations.

How can I try the Macaron hobby list without using private chat content?

Enter a fictional hobby note and an optional next step, then clear the step and confirm the original note remains. No Replika conversation or memory import was tested, so the example should contain only details you choose to type.