Nomi is off Google Play: what happened and how to keep using it

Nomi, one of the best-known companion apps for long-term memory, can no longer be downloaded from Google Play. This page sets out what we saw, what the company says, and what Android users can do in the meantime. It will be updated when the app returns.

What happened

Nomi's Android app is listed on Google Play as Nomi: AI Companion with a Soul, from the developer Nomi.ai. When we checked it on September 24 the listing was live, with a 3.8 rating from 5,585 ratings. On September 25 Nomi announced it was unavailable, and on September 28 the same listing returned Google Play's Not Found page from the US, both to our checker and in a browser. Nomi's app on the Apple App Store and its web app at nomi.ai were unaffected.

What Nomi says

Nomi's CEO, Alex Cardinell, who posts as cardine and is identified that way on Nomi's own wiki, explained the removal in an update on the r/NomiAI subreddit on September 25. He wrote that Google's reviewers lost access to their Nomi test account during an app review, and that Google took the app down before Nomi had a chance to fix it. He said Nomi is working with Google directly and expects the app back shortly.

In replies under the same post he confirmed two knock-on effects. Credit purchases inside the Android app fail for now, and he said Nomi would set up another way to pay if the fix takes more than a couple of days. A subscriber whose plan was about to lapse was told that Nomis are not deleted when a subscription expires, and that it can be renewed on the website.

Nomi has given no date for the return, and Google has not commented. Until the listing is back, the company's statement is the only account of the cause.

How to keep using Nomi on Android

• If the app is installed: nothing changes. Chats, Nomis and accounts are unaffected.
• If it is not: use Nomi in the browser at nomi.ai. Nomi's help pages say the web version can be added to the home screen, where it behaves like an app and updates itself.
• Buying credits or renewing: do it on the website until Google Play is back.

Beware the lookalike

Searching Google Play for Nomi now shows an app called Nomi AI: Chat, Play, Connect. It is not Nomi. It comes from an unrelated developer, carries ads and is rated PEGI 3, while the real Nomi is published by Nomi.ai and rated for adults. Nomi users on Reddit spotted it in the same thread.

What we will update

The Nomi review lists Nomi on the web and iOS while the Play listing is down, with a dated note beside its platforms. When the app is back on Google Play we will add the return date to this page, the review's timeline and the changes log, and restore the Android listing with a fresh rating.