Is Replika safe?

Replika is one of the more clearly documented companion apps, and on the evidence it is safe for adults who read its current privacy policy: it is 18+, its policy is dated May 27, 2026, and it describes what happens to messages, including 60-day post-termination processing and third-party model providers. The gaps are export, moderation operations, and provider behavior that no policy can prove.

What the policy says

Replika’s privacy policy describes collection of account data, messages, photos, videos, voice and text messages, preferences, and device and usage data. It names third-party AI language model providers, meaning message content can pass through outside companies. On training, the policy says small anonymized portions may be used to train proprietary safety algorithms and improve performance, and explicitly not to train third-party LLMs.

Retention is specific: messages and content may be processed for up to 60 days after contract termination, and provider data is intended to be transient, with legal exceptions. That is the clearest retention statement among the apps reviewed in this safety series, and it is still a policy claim about what providers do, not an audit of their systems.

The homepage frames the product around memory and life context: remembering people, routines, and plans, with proactive check-ins. Those claims are marketing evidence for feature positioning, not independent proof of how well memory works. They are the part of Replika worth testing before you share personal details, since a policy tells you what can be stored and a test tells you what is actually remembered.

Age rules

Replika is consistently 18+. The checked App Store listing showed an 18+ rating, and the privacy policy states the same boundary. There is no 13-plus or teen layer in these sources, and no documented age-assurance process beyond the policy statement. The homepage presents memory and life-context features aimed at ongoing adult companionship.

Deletion and export

The policy describes account deletion and deletion requests. What is not documented in the reviewed material: an export flow, what deletion removes from provider systems, and how long legal exceptions can hold copies. If you plan to leave, verify the in-app deletion path and ask support what remains before you commit sensitive history to the account.

Moderation and human review

Replika’s terms and privacy material were reviewed for safety language, and the policy mentions internal anonymized safety work. Exact moderation implementation, report handling, and human review are not described in the pages checked, so moderation remains an unknown rather than a documented feature.

The policy’s internal-training language is the closest thing to a moderation description: small anonymized portions of messages may support proprietary safety algorithms. That covers one kind of oversight and says nothing about reporting tools, account actions, or review queues. If moderation matters to you, ask Replika support directly what happens after a report and how long a review takes.

What to check before subscribing

Before you pay for a Replika plan:

1. Confirm the current policy date and retention wording, because both change and the version you read today can differ from the one you rely on next month.
2. Ask what your model provider can see. The policy names third-party providers but does not publish which ones or what they retain.
3. Test the features you care about first: community discussion mentions memory and voice continuity complaints, so check whether your replika remembers a corrected detail across chats and calls.
4. Compare the store listing in your region for price and platform details, since offers are region-specific.
5. Ask support which providers receive your messages and what they retain, because “intended to be transient” is a statement about intention, not a retention guarantee you can audit.

How Riho compares

Riho is an 18+ AI girlfriend app built around one ongoing relationship. The Riho privacy page explains what Riho stores and how you can review, correct, export, or delete memories, and Riho separates stored relationship data from inference-provider handling of prompts. Contact and location settings give you control over proactive messages and place-based date plans.

Replika has been running longer and its policy is current and unusually specific about retention. Riho is transparent about the same class of questions but is a different product: a girlfriend with memory you can correct, realistic couple photos, voice calls, and dates in real places.

Both apps are 18+ companion services with a memory pitch, so the differences live in the details. Replika’s policy is specific about the 60-day processing window, while Riho publishes its storage and correction controls on one privacy page and separates them from inference-provider handling of prompts. A useful way to choose is to run the same memory test in both: share a detail, correct it, and see which service lets you inspect what was saved.

The safety checklist walks through the checks that apply to both.

Frequently asked questions

Is Replika free?

The checked App Store listing showed free with in-app purchases, and Replika offers a free tier. Paid plans add more of the companion experience; exact current prices are region-specific and were not confirmed from the reviewed sources.

Does Replika have voice calls?

The App Store listing and official material describe calls and voice content. Whether calls share the same retention and provider rules as text is described in the policy but not independently verified.

Is my Replika chat private?

Chats pass through third-party model providers and may be processed for up to 60 days after termination, and small anonymized portions may support internal training. “Private” in Replika’s context does not mean only you and your replika ever see it.

Why is Replika rated 18+?

Both the checked App Store listing and the privacy policy state 18+. Treat the age rule as the starting point and the policy as the rest of the picture.