How to block on Character AI: people, ads and bots

Here is where other people actually show up, and what controls are on record:

• Group chats, which Character AI's blog describes as one room shared by several people and several AI characters
• Account settings on the web under Settings > Account > Manage, for your subscription
• Privacy controls under Settings > Data & Privacy in the app, for users in the EEA and UK
• Account deletion, which the help centre calls permanent and not reversible

My take: most of your time on Character AI is one person talking to a bot, and in that setup there is nobody to block. The question only really bites in group chats, and even there the safest move is simple. Leave a room you don't like and don't share anything personal with strangers. That advice is dull, I know.

But with no block button on record, dull and reliable beats clever, and it holds up whether you're in a browser or on an iOS or Android phone.

If a conversation has left something you would rather not keep, you can deal with the record of it too. My guide on removing old Character AI chats covers the clean-up side, which is often what people need after an unpleasant exchange.

The comparison table after this section lines Character AI up against Candy AI and the other apps here. Look at the group chat column. Apps without group chat are one-to-one by design, so there is nobody else in the room to block in the first place.

• Stop replying and leave the group chat
• Don't share your real name, location or other accounts with people you meet there
• Contact Character AI through its help centre, which takes support requests
• As a last resort, delete your account, knowing it is permanent

On that third point, I should be clear about what I know. The records show the help centre accepts support requests, and c.ai+ lists premium support among its benefits. They don't say how Character AI handles complaints about a person. Still, it is the one documented way to reach the company, so I'd use it.

I'd also be kind to yourself here. An unpleasant exchange with a stranger can stick with you, even in an app built for fun. Stepping away for a bit is a perfectly good response.

That detail matters for blocking. If the only place you meet strangers is a group chat, then choosing which rooms you join is your first line of control. Stick to rooms with people you already know, and the block question mostly goes away.

My take: I like group chats as an idea, especially for building a story with friends. I just wish Character AI documented its safety tools for them as clearly as it documents its prices. Until it does, keep group chats for people you trust.

For everything else about the app, from its free tier to its memory, my Character AI review pulls the facts together in one place. It is worth a read before you decide how much of your time to give the app.

Here are the documented ways to cut them back:

• (c.ai) lite, from $4.99 a month, with fewer ads plus 30 memory pins
• c.ai+ for $9.99 monthly, which drops ads and slow mode and gives the highest daily limits
• c.ai+ Annual at $94.99 a year, the same benefits billed once
• Charms, a separate currency that can buy things like temporary ad-free passes

My take: if ads are your only complaint, (c.ai) lite is the plan I would look at first. It says "fewer ads", not "no ads", so be realistic. If you want them gone entirely, c.ai+ is the only plan on record that promises it.

Charms are the odd one out. The App Store lists six pack sizes, from $0.99 up to $99.99, but it doesn't say how many Charms each pack holds. That means I can't tell you what a temporary ad-free pass really costs.

For me that is a reason to skip Charms for this purpose and pick a plan whose price you can see. If you buy Charms anyway, start with the $0.99 pack, so you risk the least while the pack sizes stay unclear.

Other reviewers also report an overall score of 8.1/10 for the app, with filters, memory slips and ads named as what holds it back. I agree the ads are fixable, and cheaply, while the filters and memory slips are not something a plan can buy away.

If you would rather not pay to lose ads at all, another app might suit you better. Nomi AI's free plan lists no ads, with 50 messages a day. OurDream AI, in the box below, lets you sign up and browse for free.

My list of apps I'd try instead of Character AI compares more of them, with free limits side by side.

The (c.ai) lite plan begins at $4.99 per month, and Character AI notes that pricing varies by region. The App Store also lists a second Lite price at $2.49 with no duration attached, and its billing period isn't stated anywhere official. I would not count on that lower number until Character AI explains it.

So which is the smart buy? If you only want fewer ads, lite at $4.99 is half the cost of c.ai+ and does the job partly. If ads drive you up the wall and you use the app most days, the annual c.ai+ plan is the best value per month, as long as you are sure you will stay a full year.

If you are unsure, pay monthly first. That costs more per month, but it lets you walk away.

Before you subscribe, know the exit. Character AI charges your payment method at each renewal until you cancel. On the web, open Settings > Account > Manage, which takes you to the Customer Portal, and type your account email there to receive a secure link. If you subscribed through Apple or Google, you cancel with them instead.

Character AI keeps payments unless the law forces a refund, so an annual plan you regret is an expensive mistake.

Payment is by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No PayPal option is on record. Other reviewers have reported a card being declined at checkout more than once, so keep a second payment method in mind if the first one fails.

For anything else on billing or accounts across the apps I cover, my help section for companion apps is the place to look. My short verdict for this page: ads are the one thing on Character AI you can block, and lite is the gentle way to do it.

What you can control is what you create and what you open. The Character Creation tools let you design your own bot with a personality, a backstory and even a voice. If the characters you keep running into aren't your thing, making one that is tends to beat scrolling past the rest.

It is also the most inclusive option on the app: you decide who the character is and how it treats you.

My take: an app this big should let people tune out what they don't want. Until Character AI documents that, your own creations and the rooms you choose are your best filter.

What the records do say is how the app handles age. You must usually be at least 13 to use it, and in the EU the floor is 16. For age assurance, Character AI works with Persona, a company that confirms identity.

The app will typically prompt a check when required, or you can start one under Settings > Advanced > Verify Age.

My advice for anyone managing a shared device: use the controls built into that device, and talk openly with whoever else uses it. An app-level setting is never the whole answer.

This page names what Character AI documents and flags what it leaves out. If you want to know how the facts behind each line are collected, see how I check the apps. I think knowing the method matters most on a page like this, where the honest answer is often "not on record".

I won't give tricks for getting around it, and I'd steer you away from anyone who does. Trying to evade an app's rules breaks its terms and can get your account banned. With account deletion permanent, that is a steep price for one scene.

If the policy question is what you came for, my answer on Character AI and adult chat goes through it properly. And if adult content matters to you as an adult, pick an app whose rules already allow it. On this page, OurDream AI, Nomi AI and SpicyChat allow it under their policies, while Candy AI and GirlfriendGPT allow it on paid plans only.

Even after that, Character AI keeps the right to use data for its search, its recommendations and its safety classifiers.

My take: treat every chat, and especially every group chat, as something other people and the company may see. Don't type anything you would hate to have read back. That habit protects you better than any block button would. Group chats deserve extra care, since other people are in the room as well as the company.

Use a nickname there, keep photos and contact details out, and assume anything you write could be copied by someone else in the chat.

If you ever want a full exit, deletion lives under Profile > Profile Settings > Account > Manage Account & Data > Delete Account in a browser, and under Profile, the settings icon, then Remove Account on mobile.