Chai Removed From the App Store: Why (October 2026)

Chai is off the App Store: what its founder says and what still works

By CompanionHunt Research · Published October 22, 2026 · How we research

Yes. Chai's iPhone app could no longer be downloaded from the App Store on October 22, 2026: its US page returned Not Found, and Apple's own lookup found no listing in the UK, Canada, Australia or ten other countries we tried. Chai's founder wrote that evening that the app is unavailable while Chai works on improving it, and that anyone who already has it installed is unaffected. He gave no return date. The Android app is still on Google Play.

Looking for something else on your iPhone? Character.AI, Janitor AI, Talkie (listed as Talkie Lab) and CrushOn (listed as Crushmash) were all still on the App Store on October 22. Our Character AI vs Chai comparison sets the biggest of them beside Chai on free chat, prices and content rules.

The event
When it happened	October 22, 2026
Primary source	reddit.com

When it happened

October 22, 2026

Primary source

reddit.com

Chai's iPhone app can no longer be downloaded from the App Store. Our change watch caught it leaving on October 22, and Chai's founder confirmed it on Chai's subreddit that evening. This page sets out what we saw, what he said, and what still works.

Status on October 22, 8 p.m. Eastern: not on the App Store in the US or any of the 13 other storefronts we tried. Still on Google Play. Already-installed apps keep working, according to Chai.

What happened

Chai's iPhone app was listed as CHAI: Social AI Platform- Chat, sold by Chai Research Corp. It first went up in March 2021. On the morning of its removal Apple's lookup still showed version 2.198 from October 7, a 17+ rating, and an average of 4.2 stars from about 299,000 ratings.

Our change watch reads the listing twice a day through Apple's own app lookup. At 11:27 a.m. Eastern on October 22 it was live in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. At 5:47 p.m. the UK, Canadian and Australian storefronts returned no listing. By 8 p.m. the US App Store page itself returned Not Found, App Store search no longer showed it, and the lookup came back empty in New Zealand, Ireland, India, Germany, France, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Brazil and Mexico too. Apple's US lookup still returned the old record, which looks like a cache that has not caught up.

Users noticed in the afternoon. The first question on r/ChaiApp, titled "Removed from App Store?", went up at 3:32 p.m. Eastern.

What Chai has said

At 5:36 p.m. Eastern Chai's founder, Will, who posts with the flair "[Official] CHAI Founder", put up a short post titled "CHAI: Off Apple App Store":

"Hey - just wanted to give an update, while we're working on improving our Apple app, it is currently unavailable to download in Apple App Store. If you already have it installed, you will be unaffected."

That is all Chai has said so far. The post does not say what is being improved, how long it will take, or whether the change was Chai's choice or Apple's. Apple does not usually explain removals. We will add anything either company says, with its date.

Has this happened before?

Not that we can confirm. Posts on TikTok over the past year have claimed Chai was briefly off the App Store before, one of them dated August 3. But the Internet Archive saved the US listing live 36 times since January 2025, including on June 27 and August 8 this year and as recently as October 14. If there was an earlier gap, it was short, or outside the US.

What still works

Chai already on your iPhone: keep using it. The founder says installed apps are unaffected. Don't delete it to reinstall, because you can't download it again for now.
Android: Chai: Chat AI Platform is on Google Play from Chai Research, with its last update dated October 21.
The web: Chai AI at chai-ai.com works in Safari, but it is a separate product. Chai's FAQ says the two are "separate platforms with no data sharing between the two", so you start again there with a new sign-in and separate plans.

If you pay through the App Store

A Chai plan bought in the iPhone app is an Apple subscription. It renews until you cancel it in Settings, under your name, then Subscriptions; deleting the app does not stop it. Chai's newer plans, Ruby and Diamond, which we read on Android on October 18, are sold the same way through the App Store. We have not read the iPhone paywall.

What we updated

The Chai review now lists Web and Android, takes its rating from Google Play, and carries a dated notice. Our PolyBuzz alternatives and SpicyChat alternatives guides no longer list Chai among the apps with an iPhone app. The changes log records the removal. If the app comes back, we will add the date here.

Frequently asked questions

Was Chai removed from the App Store?

Yes, for now. On the evening of October 22, 2026 its US App Store page returned Not Found, and Apple's app lookup found no listing in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, India, Germany, France, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Brazil or Mexico. Our change watch had found it live that morning.

Why is Chai not on the App Store?

Chai's founder wrote on October 22 that the iPhone app is unavailable to download while Chai works on improving it. He did not say what is being changed, or whether Apple asked for it, and Apple has not commented. We will add any fuller explanation here with its date.

Does Chai still work if it is already on your iPhone?

Chai's founder says yes: anyone who already has the app installed is unaffected. What you cannot do for now is download it fresh from the App Store, for example on a new phone.

Is Chai still on Google Play?

Yes. Chai: Chat AI Platform, from Chai Research, loaded on Google Play from the US, the UK, Canada and Australia on October 22, with its last update dated October 21. Only the iPhone app is gone.

When is Chai coming back to the App Store?

Chai has not given a date. Our change watch checks the listing twice a day, so if it returns we will see it within hours and add the date here.

Can you use Chai in Safari instead?

Only Chai's separate web product. Chai AI at chai-ai.com is made by the same company, but Chai's FAQ says it and the app are separate platforms with no data sharing, so your app characters, chats and any app subscription do not carry over. It has its own sign-in and its own plans.

What happens to a Chai subscription bought on an iPhone?

It is billed by Apple, so it keeps renewing until you cancel it in the iPhone's Settings, under your name, then Subscriptions. The founder says installed apps are unaffected, so a running plan should keep working in the app. Deleting the app does not cancel it.

Did Chai shut down?

No. The Android app is on Google Play, Chai's websites load, and the founder was posting on Chai's subreddit the same day. Only new downloads on iPhone are affected.