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Evaluate an AI companion by tracing your data from collection to deletion—not by relying on a single “private” setting. Check what the app collects, what it uses for model improvement or personalization, which records are stored separately from chat history, who processes the data, and what deletion actually removes. The answer can vary by region, account type and feature, so record the exact setting and policy that apply to your account.
What data might an AI companion collect?
Start with an inventory of data stores. “My chats” may be only one part of the record: a companion can also keep profile fields, extracted memories, diary entries, uploaded files, voice or video, feedback, device logs and information from connected services. A privacy review is incomplete if it covers the chat transcript but ignores these other categories.
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For example, Character.AI describes collecting account information, interaction-generated data, usage data, IP addresses and data from some connected services. Replika describes profile information, messages and content, interests and preferences, payment information, device and network information, and usage data. These lists are useful prompts for an audit, not proof that every feature collects every category from every user.
Build a data inventory
- Conversation content: messages, prompts, responses and feedback you submit.
- Persistent personalization: profile fields, preferences, memories, summaries, diary entries or other details retained to shape future responses.
- Files and media: uploaded documents, images, voice recordings or video, if the service offers those features.
- Account and activity data: identifiers, payment details, usage, device and network information, and IP address.
- Connections: data received from services you link to the companion.
For each category, note whether it is optional, whether the app lets you view or edit it, and whether the policy says it is used to provide the service, personalize responses, improve models, protect safety, or meet another purpose. If a policy bundles several categories together, mark that limitation rather than assuming a more specific answer.
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Are conversations used to train or improve the AI?
Look for a setting or policy section called model improvement, training, personalization or a similar term. Confirm which account types and regions it covers, whether it applies to new or historical content, and whether other uses continue after you opt out.
OpenAI says eligible personal accounts can turn model improvement off; business, enterprise, education and healthcare workspaces have different defaults. OpenAI also says Temporary Chat conversations do not appear in history or get used to improve its models. These statements apply to the described ChatGPT settings and account contexts, not automatically to every AI companion or account.
Character.AI documents an opt-out path for users in the EEA and UK: in the app, open Settings > Data & Privacy; on the web, open Settings > Account > Manage Account & Data > Model Improvement. The company says opting out stops new content from being used to train its generative AI models. Its documentation also says content may still be used for search, recommendations and safety classifiers. An opt-out is therefore not necessarily a ban on all processing.
Record the scope of the control
When you find a control, capture the exact label, where you found it and the date you changed it. Check whether the text says it applies to new content only, previously collected content, or both. If it is not clear, do not interpret “off” as a retroactive deletion request.
- Does the control cover training only, or also personalization?
- Does opting out leave safety, search or recommendation uses in place?
- Does the setting apply to every feature, including voice, uploads and feedback?
- Is eligibility limited by region, account type or workspace administrator?
Does the AI companion remember everything I say?
Not necessarily—but chat history and persistent memory are separate records, and deleting one may not delete the other. Check whether the companion stores extracted details, summaries, diary entries or profile fields in addition to the visible transcript.
Replika says users can view, edit and delete remembered details. Its help documentation says only four months of chat history are displayed, while memories and diary entries remain accessible. That makes the visible history window a poor measure of how long all information about an interaction remains available.
Test the distinction between history and memory
- Open the app’s memory, profile or personalization controls and review what the companion has saved.
- Edit or remove a remembered detail, then check whether the app confirms the change.
- Look separately for controls to delete a conversation, a diary entry, an uploaded file and an account.
- Read the help or privacy documentation for whether deletion also affects derived records such as summaries, embeddings, safety logs or backups. If the service does not say, treat that part as unconfirmed.
Replika states that complete message-history deletion requires deleting the account. That is a service-specific limitation; do not assume another app uses the same design. The key question is whether each control removes only the item shown on screen, or also the related memory and derived data.
How long does an AI app keep messages?
There is no single retention period established across these services, and the published figures below cover different kinds of data. Compare each number with its trigger, scope and exceptions rather than treating the values as equivalent measures of chat retention.
| Service and source | Published period | What the period describes |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI, 2026 | Within 30 days | Stated deletion target for deleted personal data, subject to exceptions; Temporary Chats are also automatically deleted within 30 days. |
| Replika, 2026 help documentation | Four months | Period of chat history visible in the app; memories and diary entries may remain accessible. |
| Replika, 2026 privacy policy | Up to 60 days after termination | Processing period described for profile information, messages and content under contract performance. |
| Replika, 2026 privacy policy | Up to 10 years | Retention for specified account, financial, device and legal-record categories. |
| Anthropic, 2026 | Within 30 days | Deleted Claude conversations are removed from backend storage within this period. |
| Anthropic, 2026 | Up to five years | De-identified data may remain in model-training pipelines when model improvement is enabled. |
The periods in this table have different scopes and triggers; they are not a direct ranking of which service keeps conversations longest. No cross-industry retention statistic is established by these published figures.
Find the clock’s starting point and exceptions
Look for what starts the retention period: deleting an individual message, closing an account, turning off model improvement or another event. Then read the exceptions. OpenAI’s stated 30-day deletion period is subject to legal, safety, security, accounting and de-identification conditions. Replika’s policy distinguishes processing after termination from longer retention for specified records. Anthropic’s stated backend deletion period is separate from the possible retention of de-identified data in training pipelines.
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Can I delete my AI chat history permanently?
Use the service’s deletion controls, but distinguish removing a visible conversation from deleting an account or removing related data from every system. Check the provider’s stated deadline and exceptions, and look for any explanation of what deletion cannot reverse.
OpenAI says deleted personal data is removed within 30 days unless legal, safety, security, accounting or de-identification conditions apply. Anthropic says a deleted Claude conversation is removed from chat history immediately and from backend storage systems within 30 days. Replika says there is currently no way to delete the entire message history without deleting the account.
Understand what deletion may not undo
Some information may already have been separated from your account or used in a process that cannot be reversed by deleting the original record. OpenAI notes that de-identified and disassociated content may no longer be tied to an account when deletion occurs. Anthropic says turning off model improvement does not remove data from training runs already in progress or models already trained; when model improvement is enabled, de-identified data may remain in training pipelines for up to five years.
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These statements do not establish that every deletion request leaves a training copy behind. They show why you should ask whether the provider can remove data already used in training, safety systems, analytics aggregates, backups or de-identified datasets, rather than assuming a chat-delete button reaches all of them.
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Who can see my conversations with an AI companion?
Map the organizations and people that may process data, not just the company whose app you opened. A service may use hosting or cloud providers, language-model providers, analytics, support and payment services, or connected apps. Also check whether an employer or school administers your account.
Replika says conversation data sent to third-party language-model providers is de-identified and minimized, used to generate responses, processed transiently, and subject to contractual deletion and no-training restrictions, with security and legal exceptions. This is a description of Replika’s stated arrangements; it does not establish how other services handle processor access.
“We do not sell data” is narrower than “no other organization processes it.” A processor may handle data to deliver a service without that being described as a sale. Read the section on service providers, subprocessors or recipients, and look for the purposes, safeguards, transfer details and exceptions attached to those disclosures.
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Questions to ask about recipients
- Which providers receive conversation content, and which receive only account or technical data?
- Do third-party model providers use submitted content for their own training, or are there stated contractual restrictions?
- Can support personnel or other human reviewers access content, and under what circumstances?
- Does the privacy notice describe international transfers or connected-service sharing?
- Are the restrictions subject to security, legal or other exceptions?
If the public documentation does not answer one of these questions, record it as unknown. A general statement about privacy is not a substitute for a clear account of recipients and permitted uses.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do privacy controls differ by region or account type?
Yes. A control or right described for one region, plan or account context may not apply to another. Check your location, age eligibility, plan and whether an organization manages the account before relying on a setting or deletion option.
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Character.AI lists region-dependent rights that can include access, correction, deletion, objection, restriction and portability. Its documented model-improvement opt-out path applies to EEA and UK users. OpenAI warns that managed-workspace administrators and retention policies can affect what users are able to do; the defaults for business, enterprise, education and healthcare workspaces differ from eligible personal accounts.
For an account provided by an employer or school, check both the service’s settings and the organization’s rules. An app-level control may not override administrator access or workspace retention policies.
How can I make an AI companion privacy audit reproducible?
Keep a brief record so you can tell what you checked and spot changes later. A screenshot of the setting alone is less useful if it omits the account context, policy date or what the control covers.
- Identify the account: note your region, account type, plan and whether an organization administers it.
- Inventory the records: list chats, memory, profile or diary fields, files, voice or video, feedback, device data and connected services that apply.
- Inspect purposes and controls: record the exact setting label and screen path for training, model improvement, personalization and memory.
- Check scope: note whether each control affects new content, historical data, one feature or the whole account.
- Write down retention terms: capture the trigger, deadline, exceptions, backup or de-identification language, and what happens after account closure.
- Review access and rights: note processors, workspace administrators, regional rights and available access, correction, export or deletion controls.
- Save evidence: record the policy’s displayed update date and retain any confirmation received after an export, setting change or deletion request.
- Recheck material changes: repeat the review when the service adds a feature or changes a policy or control.
Dates matter because controls and policies change. Character.AI’s cited training-settings article was updated October 30, 2025; Replika’s displayed privacy policy is dated March 2, 2026. Those dates identify the versions described, not a guarantee that a control remains unchanged.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off AI training stop the companion from personalizing replies?
Not necessarily. Training and personalization can be separate purposes or controls, so check the service’s wording for each. Character.AI’s EEA/UK opt-out documentation says new content will not be used to train its generative models, while use for search, recommendations and safety classifiers may continue.
Does deleting the app from my phone delete my AI account?
The published account and conversation deletion options described here are service controls, not a consequence established by uninstalling an app. Use the provider’s account or data-deletion process and look for a confirmation that the request was received.
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Check the account’s privacy or data controls for an export option and the provider’s regional access or portability terms. Character.AI lists portability among rights that may depend on region; the cited information does not establish one universal export path or format.
Should I share sensitive information with an AI companion if chats can be deleted?
Deletion terms do not promise that every derived, de-identified or legally retained record can be reversed immediately. Before sharing sensitive information, review collection, recipients, memory and deletion limits for the specific account and feature you plan to use.
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