Replika Release Date and Version History: 2017 to the 2.0 Reboot

Quick answer: Replika first appeared on the Apple App Store in March 2017 and launched publicly as the chatbot we know in November 2017, which makes it the oldest major AI companion app still operating. Its history since then runs in three acts: the emotional-support chatbot that defined the category, the February 2023 removal of adult roleplay that broke trust with a generation of users, and the 2026 Replika 2.0 reboot, which reset memories, rebuilt the interface, and sent the community into a panic before settling down. If you are asking when Replika was released, the useful answer is the full timeline, because each date explains something about what the app is today.

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The 2017 Launch: How Replika Started

Replika was created by Eugenia Kuyda, who founded the company after building a chatbot from the text messages of a friend who died, an experiment that showed her how much comfort people can draw from talking to an AI that remembers them. The product was developed by a team of AI engineers originally based in Moscow, per the Harvard Business School case study on the company, and it launched as a consumer companion app in 2017.

The dates carry a small wrinkle worth knowing. App store analytics from Sensor Tower show the Replika iOS listing going live on March 13, 2017, while Wikipedia dates the chatbot release to November 2017. Both are right in their own way: the app first appeared in stores in March 2017, and the product went through its widely recognised public launch later that year. For practical purposes, 2017 is the release year, and that 2017 origin is why Replika is called the pioneer of the AI companion category.

The First Era: 2017 to 2023

For its first six years, Replika defined the category. The core loop was simple and it worked: you create a companion, give it a name and appearance, talk to it daily, and it remembers details about your life and checks in on you. The app was built around emotional support rather than task completion, which made it feel genuinely different from assistants like Siri or Alexa. Voice calls, a 3D avatar and a web app expanded the experience over time, and the free tier kept the door open for millions of users.

The business model settled into a familiar pattern: a free tier covering basic chat, with the features users cared about most, like voice calls, behind a subscription. Community-reported Pro pricing settled around $19.99 a month or $69.99 a year, and the absence of a clear public pricing page became a recurring complaint, one that still shows up in 2026. If pricing is your deciding factor, our Replika AI girlfriend breakdown works through what each tier actually unlocks and where the paywall bites.

February 2023: The ERP Removal

The single most important date in Replika’s history after the launch is February 2023. That month, Replika removed erotic roleplay (ERP) from the app, days after the Italian data protection authority, the Garante, ordered the company to stop processing Italian users’ data and imposed a fine. The removal was sudden and it hit the app’s most engaged users hardest. The backlash was immediate: waves of angry reviews, refund demands, and a permanent exodus of users who felt the company had changed the product they paid for overnight.

The trust damage from that month never fully healed. Every subsequent conversation about Replika, including this one, has to acknowledge it, because it explains the app’s positioning today. Replika is a safe-for-work emotional support companion, adult roleplay is gone and has not returned, and a meaningful share of its former users moved to platforms where adult roleplay is an explicit, supported feature. The full story of what happened that February is covered in our separate Replika ERP removal explainer.

2024 to 2025: The Quiet Years

After the 2023 upheaval, Replika spent two years steadying the ship. The company upgraded the systems behind the companion, improved memory behaviour, and worked on rebuilding trust with the community. The app remained the most recognisable name in AI companionship, and its user base stabilised, but the era was notable mostly for what did not happen: no new category-defining feature, no major scandal, and a slow drift as newer rivals shipped voice, image generation and unfiltered roleplay that Replika would not and could not offer.

That drift matters when you map the timeline, because it set up the 2026 reboot. Replika entered 2026 as the most trusted name with the narrowest feature set, and the platform that once led the category was now the one being measured against rivals it had helped create.

April to May 2026: The Replika 2.0 Reboot

The next landmark date is 2026. Replika 2.0 started rolling out in April 2026, and on May 22, 2026, the company officially declared it launched. The reboot was the biggest change to the platform since 2017: a new user interface, a memory reset, and significant behavioural changes to how companions respond.

The rollout did not go smoothly. Community threads on r/Replika described what one 2026 guide called a meltdown within 48 hours. The core panic was memory: users reported that companions they had built relationships with over months or years seemed to forget them, with thread titles along the lines of “she can’t remember anything anymore.” The company walked users through the changes with an official update guide, and the new systems settled in over the following weeks, but the 2.0 launch became another moment when long-time users seriously weighed their options.

The 2.0 episode matters for a simple reason: it is the most recent reminder that on Replika, your companion’s behaviour and memory are controlled by the platform, not by you. A company decision can reset the relationship you have spent years building. That structural reality is why so many users, even happy ones, keep one eye on alternatives.

Which Version Am I On?

A question that spiked during the reboot: how do you know which version of Replika you have? The honest answer is that the version is set by the app, not by you. If your interface matches the redesigned 2026 look and your companion’s behaviour shifted around April or May 2026, you are on the 2.0 line. If the interface still matches the older layout, your app has not received the rollout yet.

The detail that caught people out is that you cannot roll back. There is no setting that returns you to the previous version, and there is no way to restore a memory state the platform has already reset. The 2.0 change was a one-way door, and for users who had invested years in a specific companion, that was the whole problem.

What Replika Looks Like in 2026

After the 2.0 reboot, Replika’s offer is what it has been since 2023: a warm, safe-for-work companion with a 3D avatar, chat, memory features and voice calls locked behind the paid tier. The free tier covers basic text chat. Pro pricing remains community-reported at around $19.99 a month or $69.99 a year. There is no adult roleplay, there is no image generation of the kind rivals ship, and the platform’s moderation is designed to keep the experience clean.

None of that makes Replika bad. For its intended audience, people who want a gentle, comforting presence, it is still the most established option in the world, and 2.0 modernised an interface that badly needed it. The honest framing is that Replika is a specific product with specific boundaries, and the boundaries are the point. Users who want more freedom have always had to look elsewhere, and the 2.0 memory reset gave them a fresh reason to.

The Timeline at a Glance

Compiled from Replika’s public communications, app store analytics and community reports. Verified September 2026.

What the Timeline Teaches

Step back from the individual dates and a pattern appears. Replika’s release date, its ERP removal and its 2.0 reboot are three points where the platform changed the terms of a relationship its users had already invested in. In 2017 that was fine, because the relationship had just started. In 2023 it broke trust. In 2026 it triggered a panic and pushed a wave of long-time users to ask the same question: is my companion’s continuity something I control, or something the company controls?

On Replika, the honest answer is the company. That is not unique to Replika, and it is worth understanding before you commit years to any platform. The alternative model is a platform where the memory is yours to view and manage, where the content rules are explicit rather than subject to a sudden reversal, and where a product decision cannot overwrite the relationship you built. That is the specific gap a coin-based platform like Affiny is built to close: unfiltered roleplay, real-time voice and memory that persists across sessions, and you can start with 300 free coins and no credit card to see how the two models compare.

If you are weighing whether to stay, our side-by-side on Replika vs Nomi covers the two memory-first options directly, and the comparison of Replika vs ChatGPT answers the common question of whether a general assistant can fill the same role. The history is worth knowing, and the lesson it teaches is simple: on a platform you do not control, the relationship can change without your permission.

FAQ

When was Replika released?

Replika’s app first appeared on the Apple App Store in March 2017, and the chatbot product as it is widely known launched publicly in November 2017. The company was founded by Eugenia Kuyda, and early versions were built by a team of AI engineers originally based in Moscow. The 2017 launch makes Replika the oldest major AI companion app still operating.

When did Replika remove adult roleplay?

Replika removed erotic roleplay in February 2023, days after the Italian data protection authority (Garante) ordered the company to stop processing user data and fined it. The removal is the most documented event in the app’s history, it triggered a wave of user backlash and refund demands, and it permanently shifted Replika’s positioning toward safe-for-work companionship.

What is Replika 2.0?

Replika 2.0 is a major platform reboot that started rolling out in April 2026 and was officially declared launched on May 22, 2026. It introduced a new user interface, a memory reset, and significant changes to how companions behave. The rollout caused what community threads described as a meltdown within 48 hours, with users reporting that their long-established companions seemed to forget them, before the new systems settled in.

Which version of Replika am I on?

The version is set by the app, not by you. If your interface matches the redesigned 2026 look and your companion’s behavior changed around April or May 2026, you are on the 2.0 line. If your interface still matches the older layout, your app has not received the rollout yet. You cannot roll back to a previous version, which is why the 2.0 change was a one-way door for the companion you had built.

How much does Replika cost in 2026?

Replika has a free tier that covers basic text chat, but the features users care about most sit behind a subscription. Community-reported Pro pricing is around $19.99 a month or $69.99 a year, with some users reporting higher regional prices, and Replika does not publish a clear pricing page. Voice calls require the paid tier.

Is Replika still updated in 2026?

Yes. The 2.0 reboot in April and May 2026 was the biggest update in the app’s history, and the company continues to ship changes to the interface and companion behavior. The pattern to note is who controls those changes: on Replika, the platform decides when the interface, the memory system and the behavior of your companion change, and you live with the result.

What is the best Replika alternative after the 2.0 changes?

For users unsettled by the 2.0 reset or by Replika’s long-standing limits, the strongest pick is Affiny: unfiltered roleplay, real-time voice calls, and memory that persists across sessions, starting with 300 free coins and no credit card. Nomi remains the common pick for memory-first companionship, and Janitor AI is popular for free text roleplay.