AI Girlfriend App iPhone/Android 2026: Official or Clone?

Because App Store and Google Play rules ban sexually explicit content, and most AI girlfriends make it their main selling point. Apple and Google reject pornographic apps; a companion app that allows sexting or nude images fails review or gets pulled later.

So publishers have two options: release a toned-down version in the stores (what Replika does, non-explicit since 2023), or stay on the web and let users open the site in Safari or Chrome. Candy AI, Secrets AI, OurDream AI, GirlfriendGPT, Lovescape, DreamGF, Kupid AI, and Nomi AI mostly follow the second approach for their adult content: the full experience lives on their website.

That’s not a lack of seriousness. It’s a platform constraint, the same one that explains why Google SafeSearch hides these sites by default and why Google Ads, Meta, and TikTok reject their ads. The web is simply where adult content is still allowed.

Replika and Character.AI, and that’s about it in our comparison as of 09/30/2026.

Replika costs $19.99/month or $69.99/year for Pro and offers wellness-focused companionship, with voice and a multilingual interface. Character.AI is free with a c.ai+ plan at $9.99/month, a huge community of characters, and memory limited to the session. If you want an app in the strict sense, with an icon, notifications, and in-app purchases, these are the two candidates; read our Replika review and our Character.AI review.

If you want adult content, neither will work, and you’ll have to use the browser: our uncensored AI chat guide lists what each service allows.

No. Candy AI is web-only as of 09/30/2026; there’s no Candy AI app published by EverAI Limited on the App Store or Google Play. The candy.ai site is built to work on mobile, with the full interface, characters, creator, voice, and “Live Action” video clips, but it opens in Safari or Chrome.

This matters for three practical reasons:

• Billing: the subscription ($13.99/month or $3.99/month over 12 months) and token packs are paid on the website, not through Apple or Google. To cancel, go to your web account settings; our article on canceling Candy AI walks through the steps.
• Security: any app called “Candy AI” in a store is a clone. More on that below.
• Convenience: you can add the site to your home screen to get an icon and a full-screen view, without the browser bar.

How the service works in detail is covered in our Candy AI review.

You can spot a clone by the listed developer, the lack of a link to the official site, and suspicious reviews. A clone is an app published by a third party that copies the name, logo, or visuals of a well-known service to capture its searches, and usually sells its own subscription, unrelated to the original.

Checks to run before installing:

1. The developer name on the store listing. For Replika, it should be Luka, Inc.; for Character.AI, Character Technologies Inc. For Candy AI, Secrets AI, or Nomi AI, there’s no legitimate publisher to expect: any listing is a clone.
2. The official site: go to candy.ai, secrets.ai, nomi.ai, or replika.com and see whether the publisher itself links to an app. If it doesn’t mention one, none exists.
3. The reviews: dozens of five-star ratings in a week with identical text, or complaints about charges after uninstalling, are two typical red flags.
4. The permissions: a chat app doesn’t need access to your contacts or your location.

Clones aren’t necessarily dangerous, but they’re useless at best: you pay an unknown service for a worse experience than the official site, which is free to access.

Adding the site to your home screen gives you almost the convenience of an app, in thirty seconds. Modern sites like candy.ai or secrets.ai are mobile-friendly web apps; some work as a PWA (progressive web app), meaning a site that installs like an app, with an icon and full screen, without going through a store.

On iPhone (Safari):

1. Open the site and log in.
2. Tap the Share button (square with an arrow).
3. Choose “Add to Home Screen” and confirm.

On Android (Chrome):

1. Open the site and log in.
2. Three-dot menu, then “Add to Home screen” or “Install app.”
3. Confirm.

What you lose compared with a native app: notifications aren’t always available, and your session may expire if you clear the browser cache. What you gain: no content limits imposed by the store, the full interface, and no middleman in billing.

The real risks on mobile are unofficial apps and shared phones, not the site itself. A few habits that cost little:

• Install only official apps (Replika, Character.AI) or nothing at all; use the browser for the rest.
• Check the address: candy.ai, secrets.ai, nomi.ai. A site with a similar name but a different domain isn’t the original.
• Use a dedicated email address to sign up, and never send a photo of yourself or an ID document outside a clearly explained age verification.
• Private browsing if the phone is shared, keeping in mind it doesn’t erase data on the publisher’s side.
• Payment: charges show up under the payment processor’s name; check your statement after the first month.

On data protection, two pointers from verified facts: Secrets AI highlights advertised encryption of conversations; Replika was fined €5M by the Italian regulator (Garante) over its handling of personal data. The app-by-app details are in our AI girlfriend privacy guide.

The choice depends first on where you stand on adult content, then on what features matter most.

• You want a real app, without explicit content: Replika for an ongoing relationship and wellness features, Character.AI to explore an endless supply of characters for free. Both have multilingual interfaces.
• You want adult content with everything in one place: Candy AI or Secrets AI, from the browser, added to your home screen. Candy AI for video and the full creator, Secrets AI for long-term memory and advertised encryption. Our Candy AI vs Secrets AI comparison settles it point by point.
• You want something more focused: Nomi AI ($15.99/month or $99.99/year) for memory and no tokens, Lovescape, from $7.99/month over 12 months, to get started fast on a budget.

Either way, start with the free trial on the official site, test it from your phone, then commit to one month before going annual. Our full comparison sums up all thirteen apps, and our guide on how to choose an AI girlfriend gives you the six criteria to check before paying.