How to delete your data from AI companion apps in Canada

Account deletion, subscription cancellation and retained records are separate things. Compare documented controls and Canadian guidance on privacy requests.

AArtur PuleevUpdated 2026-10-29How we test

18+ only. This guide covers accounts used for ordinary conversations with fictional adult characters.

To delete your data from an AI companion app, first work out what you want removed. A saved preference, a transcript, an account and a recurring payment are different things. OurDream says account deletion takes 24 to 48 hours and automatically cancels an active subscription. Replika says deletion does not cancel billing. You can't assume either rule holds for any other service.

Canadian users should also read the operator's published retention rules. When an account disappears from the interface, that does not show that every legal or financial record has been erased. This guide treats each action and timeframe separately, so you can make a specific deletion request and understand the confirmation you get back. The Canadian companion-app guide covers accounts and purchases more broadly.

Understand the control and the records it affects

Start with the action you actually need. In Replika you can view and remove individual facts in Memory, but removing the full conversation history requires deleting the account. CrushOn's FAQ allows selective deletion only for messages newer than 24 hours. A memory editor can correct personalisation without deleting any transcript, and a control for recent messages does not mean older messages can be removed one by one.

Before you take a permanent action, decide whether you need a copy of your own non-sensitive fictional notes or a record of a billing dispute. Save only what you need and protect that copy separately. Deleting the account with the provider will not remove a file you downloaded, a screenshot in your device gallery or a copy you already shared with someone else. Don't make new copies of private material just to prove that you sent a deletion request.

Next, find out how you pay. OurDream's profile has a cancellation action that stops renewal and a separate deletion action in the danger zone. Its deletion guidance says an active membership is cancelled automatically, any remaining coins are lost without refund, and processing takes 24 to 48 hours. Cancelling on its own keeps paid access until the end of the period. Pick the action that matches whether you want to keep the account.

On Nomi, deletion starts in Profile and Account Settings, then Delete account, email verification and the required confirmation text. Its policy says personal information is removed in about 28 days, with exceptions that include support communications and retention required by law. Managing the subscription is a separate step. Replika also requires you to deal with billing apart from account deletion; you delete the account from Account Settings in the app or on the web.

Read retention periods by data category. Replika keeps profile, message, content and preference data for up to 60 days after the contract ends, while some financial and device records stay for at least 10 years. Candy.ai's policy generally keeps account data for up to 3 years after last activity and financial records for 10 years, with conditions and exceptions to erasure. Neither set of periods is a promise about every conversation, and they can't be swapped for each other.

Recovery periods are another category. Promptchan describes disabling an account, followed by a 30 day recovery window before permanent deletion. That differs from OurDream's processing period and from Nomi's policy timeframe. If the interface offers recovery, read what restoring the account does before you take an earlier closure screen as proof that all account material is gone.

Check local storage separately. Perchance AI Chat keeps history in the browser, and clearing the site's stored data can remove that history. Its save and sharing features can create other copies. Chatting in a browser without registering does not mean nothing is stored on the device. HakkoAI draws a different line: automatically captured screenshots last 3 calendar days, but screenshots you send into chat yourself do not expire on that schedule.

Finally, keep statements about encryption and training apart from deletion rules. Nomi says plainly that its chats are not end-to-end encrypted. OurDream's policy allows user content to be used for AI or machine-learning training; that is a contractual permission, not a record of what happened to any particular conversation. Replika bars third-party AI processors from training their own models, but that does not tell you the operator's full policy on internal training.

All of this matters even when every character is fictional. An invented biography can still include your real workplace, a medical detail or private family information. Keep that kind of input to a minimum from the start, and in a request, describe the type of information rather than repeating a whole sensitive conversation. The companion comparison lists the memory and account controls each service offers, apart from quality claims that haven't been measured.

Ask precise questions about training as well as erasure. Candy.ai's policy covers AI training and possible human review of de-identified interactions. You can ask what happened to your account's information and which retained categories are left, without treating a general policy sentence as proof of how one message was handled. Keep the provider's reply together with the account-deletion confirmation so you can see which questions are still open.

A long retention period is no reason to give up on the request. Replika's 10 year category for financial and device records is separate from its profile and message category. Asking which rule applies gets you further than assuming everything is kept for the longest period named anywhere in the policy.

A practical deletion record

Use the confirmation to check that the action you asked for was carried out, rather than relying on the wording of a success screen. OurDream's 24 to 48 hour processing statement is about account deletion, while Replika's retention categories are about records kept after the contract ends. If a reply only deals with cancellation when you asked about personal information, follow up through the provider's privacy channel with the original reference and the question that is still open.

• Note the exact account, service and purchase channel. Use the account identifier the provider already has, and don't paste payment-card details into an ordinary chat.
• Write down what you want: remove a saved fact, delete a conversation where that's supported, close the account, cancel renewal or ask about retained records. CrushOn's 24-hour rule for selective message deletion shows why you need to name the action precisely.
• Check what happens to your balance before you confirm closure. OurDream says remaining Dreamcoins are lost without refund when the account is deleted. A cancellation receipt and a deletion confirmation answer different questions.
• Keep the date and confirmation of your request. Track Nomi's approximate 28 day timeframe for personal information as the provider's stated process, with its exceptions, not as a guarantee that every record is gone on a set day.
• Check saved browser data and any copies you control. Perchance AI Chat's local history and a transcript you saved separately are different copies. Look at browser profiles on shared devices as well as the original service account.
• If records are kept, ask which categories remain, why they are needed and which policy applies. Because Replika treats message data separately from financial and device records, an answer by category tells you more than a general statement that some data remains.

Canadian privacy requests and official guidance

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada explains that PIPEDA covers many private-sector organisations, though provincial laws may apply instead in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. Its access guide for businesses says requests under PIPEDA must be in writing and that access should normally be given within 30 days, subject to specified extensions and exceptions. That is a timeframe for access, not a general deadline for deleting all account data.

Send a focused request to the organisation's designated privacy contact. The OPC recommends trying to settle an access dispute with the organisation before filing a complaint. Its principles for generative AI also call for limiting the collection of personal information and giving people real ways to access and correct it. These sources explain rights and how requests are handled; they do not certify that any companion service complies.

The OPC business-access guide and AI principles were checked 2026-10-29. The product-specific deletion and retention statements above were checked 2026-10-28. When deciding where to take an unresolved request, follow the guidance of the relevant privacy authority. An operator's overseas address does not mean Canadian privacy considerations stop applying.

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