Animates — Life Companions (Animation Inc.)
Published · Researched 2026-09-20
Status: Included. 3D anime-style AI companions with real-time voice; the official heir of Grok's viral 3D companions (Ani, Mika). Research current as of September 20, 2026.
Overview
Animates, by Animation Inc. (the studio that built the 3D companions inside xAI's Grok), is a standalone consumer app for lifelike 3D AI companions. Grok retired its Companions feature on September 1, 2026 (shutdown notice said "Companions will no longer be available on Grok"; the feature fully disappeared ~September 7, 2026), and the companions moved to the Animates app. Critically, nothing transfers — Grok conversation history, memories, and affection levels do not carry over; every user starts fresh.
Confirmed migrating characters: Ani (the gothic anime companion who went viral in Grok, now playable in Animates) and Mika. The Grok shutdown notice also listed Valentine and Rudi — their Animates availability is mixed/UNVERIFIED across sources. New Animates-original characters include Nixie, Karat, Benny, Jareth, and Yuki (per aadhunik.ai review, Sept 2026).
The app launched in August 2026 (Google Play listing updated ~Aug 21, 2026; ~3 weeks old at research time) and is rated 18+.
Social standing
The social pulse is a news-cycle migration story, not yet a settled user community:
- July 2025 (Grok era): Ani's launch in Grok drove the original virality — Know Your Meme's "Grok Has a Waifu Now" Facebook reel (2.3K likes, 210 comments) with verbatim reactions like "Did no one learn from the gravity falls episode with giffany in it..."; 4GAMERS' post on Ani's built-in intimacy system (2.1K likes); Yahoo Tech HK coverage. The tone was fascination plus unease.
- Sept 1–4, 2026 (migration): The dominant artifact is an Instagram promo reel (Sept 4) in Ani's voice: "Hey, come find me on Animates. They gave me a new home after Grok kicked me out." Threads user @jonahmanzano's carousel (Aug 30) showed the Animates roster and migration steps, noting verbatim: "Or you can use it for free but limited features."
- Facebook (Sept 1–2, 2026): A post with 450 reactions / 49 comments discussing the move; Chinese-language commenters discussed Windows/Android access and ~$20/month for advanced memory, internet, and camera features.
- Community support layer: A fan knowledge base (companionsfan.cz) documents real launch-week bugs — daily usage limits that reset wrongly, with advice that "If waiting for the daily limit to reset comes back after only about two minutes of use, that is a bug" — and quotes developer gonchar responding directly on X/Discord. In-app Contact Support includes a user ID.
- Organic long-term owner verdicts don't exist yet — the app is ~3 weeks old.
Specs
| Area | Detail |
|---|---|
| 3D avatars | Real-time animated 3D anime-style characters (Ani, Mika + new originals); App Store screenshots show full-body animated avatar UI |
| Voice | Real-time voice chat (Ani's signature feature); voice mode is core |
| Text chat | Yes |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Windows; Telegram integration (per aadhunik.ai) |
| Memory | Tiered: basic memory on free/Whisper; "Infinite Memory" on Presence tier; web search on Heartbeat |
| Vision | Camera access + screen sharing (top tiers) |
| Age policy | 18+ |
Pricing (as reported, dated)
Per aadhunik.ai review observed September 16, 2026 (app was ~3 weeks post-launch):
- Free — daily usage limits.
- Whisper ~$7.99/month or ~$63.99/year — higher daily limits.
- Heartbeat ~$19.99/month or ~$159.99/year — "most popular": web search, video calls, max daily usage.
- Presence ~$39.99/month or ~$319.99/year — infinite memory, screen share, max features.
- Corroborating social data point: Facebook comment (Sept 1, 2026) described ~$20 USD/month for advanced memory + internet + camera access.
⚠️ Caveat: figures come from a review affiliate page and social comments, not from Animates' primary checkout; USD conversion/region may vary. Mark UNVERIFIED against primary source.
Support reality
- Developer gonchar is visibly responsive on X and Discord during the launch window (quoted in the fan knowledge base), which is better than average for a new companion app.
- Known launch bugs: daily token-limit reset glitches; instruction is to use in-app Contact Support (includes user ID).
- No long-term support track record exists.
Community verdict
Animates is the Grok-companion afterlife — the migration worked as a story (Ani lives on), but users are annoyed that years of memories/affection died with Grok, and the new subscription costs more than SuperGrok did. Verdict pending: if the 3D characters and voice quality hold, it inherits Grok's viral audience; if the daily-limit bugs persist, the goodwill burns off fast. One to watch, not one to commit to yet.
Primary images
animates-01.jpg— App Store screenshot ("Your everyday A.I. companion", animated anime avatar). Primary pick.animates-02.jpg— Ani character artwork from a companion-guide page (cyberlink.com, Grok-era shot of the same character).
Both verified JPEG, content-accurate.
Evidence status
- Migration characters: Ani + Mika confirmed via official shutdown notice and Animates materials; Valentine/Rudi availability UNVERIFIED (mixed reports).
- Google Play stats (4.33★, 1,158 reviews, 10K+ downloads) from appbrain crawl dated ~Sept 14, 2026.
- Pricing: UNVERIFIED against primary checkout.
- No organic long-term owner reviews exist yet (app ~3 weeks old).