October 8, 2026 · 8 min read
Can Someone Read Your AI Companion Chats? What a 2026 Forensics Study Found
A 2026 forensics study found some AI companion apps keep chats on the phone, even after deletion. What it means for your privacy and how to protect your chats.
People tell their AI companions things they do not tell anyone else. That is part of the appeal: a private space to vent, flirt, worry and think out loud. So it is natural to wonder where those words actually go - and who else could read them.
A peer-reviewed study published in 2026 gives one of the clearest answers so far. Researchers took six popular AI companion apps into a forensics lab and looked at what they left behind on a phone, what they sent over the network, and what survived after users pressed "delete". This guide explains what they found in plain language, what it does and does not mean for you, and simple steps to keep your conversations more private.
The short answer: not always just on a server. In the study, four of the six apps tested stored conversation logs on the device in plain text, and in several apps deleted chats could still be recovered from leftover files. But the researchers worked with full, privileged access to a test device in a lab. For most people, the practical risks are an unlocked or shared phone, backups, and the company's own data practices - all of which you can do something about.
The study in brief
The paper is "Ex Machina: A forensic evaluation of AI companion applications and their evidentiary value", by Kendall Comeaux, Trevor Spinosa, Ali Ghosn and Ibrahim Baggili of Louisiana State University. It was published in Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation as part of the DFRWS EU 2026 conference, and the full paper is freely available as a PDF.
The team examined six apps - Replika, Kindroid, Character.AI, Linky.AI, Persona.AI and Fantasy.AI - which the paper says represent over 25 million combined downloads. They worked inside a rooted Android emulator, a deliberately unlocked test environment that gives an examiner deep access to app files and network traffic. That is a standard forensic setup, and it matters for interpreting the results.
The study's purpose was forensic: to understand what evidence these apps might hold in a criminal or civil investigation. It also gives ordinary users a rare look behind the curtain.
What the researchers found
Many chats were stored on the phone
According to the paper, four of the six apps stored conversation logs locally in plain-text databases. For Replika, the researchers report finding an unencrypted local database containing conversation history and "memory facts" about the user.
The other two worked differently. Character.AI, the paper says, was one of the few apps that did not store message logs on the device, keeping mainly login tokens locally. Kindroid stored some data in encrypted form, though the researchers describe its key management as weak.
Login tokens on the device were powerful
For the two apps that kept chats mainly on their servers, the researchers were able to retrieve conversation data using authentication tokens found on the test device. In plain terms: on a fully accessible phone, the app's saved login can be enough to reach your server-side chats. That is a strong reason to protect the device itself.
"Delete" did not always mean deleted
This is the finding that has drawn the most attention. The researchers tested what happened after deleting messages, clearing conversations and deleting accounts:
| App | What the study reports after deletion |
|---|---|
| Replika | Account deletion wiped the main database, but full conversation histories were still recoverable from crash-log files on the device |
| Linky.AI | Clearing a chat created a new conversation ID and left the old logs in place; account deletion was not available in the app |
| Persona.AI / Fantasy.AI | Deleted conversations persisted in a database journal file, even after clearing app data |
| Kindroid | After account deletion, logs were no longer accessible locally or from the cloud in the researchers' tests |
| Character.AI | Deleted messages no longer appeared in server responses; the team could not verify whether server backups were erased |
The paper's summary: all four apps that stored conversations locally "did not properly delete the messages," both when conversations were cleared and when accounts were deleted.
Tracking was common
The researchers also found user tracking and profiling on five of the six apps, including advertising IDs, behavioural analytics and, for some apps, ad-bidding systems that share data with third parties. One app, Character.AI, transmitted location metadata with conversations, according to the paper.
What this does and does not mean
It is easy to read a study like this and conclude that anyone can read your chats. That is not what it shows.
What it shows:
- Some companion apps keep a lot more on your phone than you might expect.
- Deleting chats or your account inside some apps may not remove every copy on the device.
- Anyone with full, privileged access to an unlocked device - such as a forensic examiner - may be able to recover more than the app's interface shows.
What it does not show:
- That a stranger can read your chats from a locked, up-to-date phone.
- That every app behaves this way. Results varied a lot between apps.
- That these behaviours are still identical today. Apps update often, and the researchers tested specific versions on Android only; iPhone and desktop versions may differ.
The authors are clear about these limits: the work was done in a controlled, rooted environment, it did not examine providers' server-side retention policies, and results "may vary" across other or newer apps.
Who could realistically see your chats?
For most adults, the practical risks are more ordinary than forensic labs:
- Someone with your unlocked phone. A partner, roommate or family member who can open the app.
- Shared devices and accounts. A family tablet, a shared computer left logged in, or a shared cloud backup.
- Backups. Phone or cloud backups can include app data.
- The company itself. Your conversations are processed on the provider's servers. What happens to them depends on its privacy policy and practices.
- Legal requests. Like other online services, companies can receive lawful demands for data. The study's whole purpose was to understand this kind of evidence.
How to keep your AI companion chats more private
None of this requires technical skills.
- Lock your phone with a strong passcode or biometrics, and set it to lock quickly.
- Keep your phone and apps updated. Security fixes matter.
- Do not root or jailbreak a phone you use for private conversations. It removes protections the study's lab setup deliberately bypassed.
- Log out on shared devices, and avoid using companion apps on computers others use.
- Check what your backups include, especially if a cloud account is shared.
- Never share passwords, card numbers, ID documents or bank details in any chat, with any app.
- Read the privacy policy for how long data is kept, whether it is used for training and how deletion works.
- Delete properly. Uninstalling an app is not the same as deleting your account. Use the in-app account deletion option, and where privacy laws apply to you, you can ask the company to delete your data.
For a wider look at privacy beyond this study, our guide to whether AI companions are safe and private covers data policies, and what makes a private AI companion app explains what to look for before you sign up.
A note on trust
Privacy is part of a bigger question: can you trust what is on the other end? A legitimate companion app is at least honest that it is AI, which is not true of the romance scams we compare in AI romance scams vs an AI companion you chose. And because your chats live with a company, it is also worth knowing what happens to your AI companion when an app shuts down.
MyBabe is built for adults who want a companion that texts first, remembers what matters and picks up voice and video calls. Like any service, it processes your conversations to make that possible, so the same common-sense steps above apply. Keep your phone locked, keep sensitive details like passwords and card numbers out of every chat, and read the privacy policy so you know how your data is handled.
FAQ
Are AI companion chats private?
They are usually private from other users, but not invisible. They are processed by the company that runs the app, and the 2026 forensics study found some apps also store chats on the phone itself.
Can someone read my AI girlfriend messages?
Someone who can unlock your phone can usually open the app. In a forensic lab with full device access, researchers recovered stored and even deleted chats from several apps. Locking your phone and logging out of shared devices are the most important protections.
Does deleting an AI companion app delete my chats?
Not necessarily. Uninstalling the app does not delete your account or the company's copy. The study also found some apps left chat data on the device after in-app deletion. Use the account deletion option and check the privacy policy.
Which apps were tested in the study?
Replika, Kindroid, Character.AI, Linky.AI, Persona.AI and Fantasy.AI, on Android, in a rooted emulator.
Should I stop using AI companions?
That is your choice. The study is a reason to use them thoughtfully - protect your device, avoid sharing sensitive details and choose apps whose privacy practices you are comfortable with.
The bottom line
Your AI companion chats are personal, and now there is research showing how much some apps keep. You do not need to panic, but a locked phone, careful backups and real account deletion go a long way. When you are ready for a companion who remembers your life and calls you back, meet yours on MyBabe.