You can now call Character.AI avatars on the phone

Typing away at an AI character is fine, but sometimes you just want to pick up the phone and talk.

Character.AI just rolled out a new calling feature, allowing users to make two-way voice calls with its millions of user-generated chatbots. The update supports multiple languages out of the gate, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese.

Turns out, people were already hooked before the public launch. Character.AI tested the tool with a smaller cohort, racking up over 20 million calls from more than 3 million users. The company pitches the feature for everyday tasks like practicing language skills, running mock job interviews, or adding realistic voice banter to role-playing games.

Tap to talk, tap to shut it up

Real-time voice with AI usually falls apart on two fronts: unbearable latency and chatbots that refuse to stop rambling. Character.AI says it focused heavily on latency reduction to keep interactions snappy.

Starting a call takes a single tap on the character’s profile. If the AI starts repeating itself or talking over you, there is a dedicated "Tap to interrupt" button right on the screen. Users can also bounce seamlessly between voice and text chat without dropping the session.

The foundation was laid back in March when the startup introduced Character Voices, letting creators generate custom voice profiles. That library has already crossed 1 million distinct voices, giving users plenty of choices when picking a conversational partner.

Personality shifts and Google breathing down its neck

The rollout comes amid mounting friction with power users. Over on Reddit, members have recently complained that their favorite characters suddenly suffered personality shifts, behaving noticeably differently than before.

Character.AI told 404 Media that it hadn’t made sweeping platform changes, suggesting that affected users were likely swept into experimental A/B test buckets.

Meanwhile, the tech giants are circling. The Information reported earlier this week that Google is building its own customized chatbot platform to directly challenge Meta and Character.AI, putting serious competitive pressure on the startup.

Why it matters

We think this is a natural yet critical evolution for Character.AI. Voice strips away the friction of typing on glass, instantly transforming role-play into genuine spoken companionship.

For everyday users, mock interviews and language practice just became far more practical. Being able to interrupt the bot and switch between audio and text makes it feel less like a rigid voice assistant and more like a fluid call. If you use the app, it is definitely worth trying right away.

However, the platform is walking a tightrope. Emotional connection is Character.AI’s biggest moat, but it is also its most fragile asset. The backlash on Reddit shows that users treat these personas like real friends; when a quiet backend test changes how a bot speaks, it breaks trust.

With Google preparing its own customizable chatbots and Meta pushing avatar interactions, Character.AI needs these interactive features to keep its hyper-engaged community from drifting toward ecosystems with deeper pockets.