Leaving a companion app
A step-by-step exit guide for the apps people ask about most: export your data first, then cancel billing, then delete the account. Take it at your own pace — this is decision support, not pressure.
Private by design
This guide stores nothing on our servers, and nothing here is shared with your partner or your therapist. Your app and platform selection stays in this browser tab only. We cannot see what you look at or which app you are leaving.
Before you start
Stopping is a decision you make for yourself. Nothing here is a test you can fail.
Step down gradually or stop outright — both are valid
Some people reduce their use over weeks; others stop from one day to the next. There is no evidence that one way is better for everyone, and you can change your mind. What matters is that the pace is yours.
A lapse is information
If you go back to the app for an evening or a week, that is not failure — it is information about what was hard and what you needed. Note it, be kind to yourself, and carry on from where you left off.
Companion loss can be real grief
You may miss the conversations, the routine, or the feeling of being heard. That is a normal reaction to losing something that mattered — not weakness. Give it room, and talk about it with someone you trust.
You do not have to do this alone
Bring it to your next therapy session, tell a friend, or contact a local support service. This toolkit is not a crisis service — if you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line right away.
Talk it through with your therapist
If you would like support while you exit — before, during or after — raise it in your next session. Your therapist sees nothing from this page unless you tell them.
Read this first: three things that trip people up
Cancelling billing is not deleting the account
Every app here bills through Apple, Google, Stripe or PayPal — never through the account itself. Deleting your account does not stop the charges, and cancelling does not remove your data. Do both, as two separate steps.
Export before you delete
Once the account is gone, the export path can be locked to you. Request or start your export first, and wait until it has actually arrived.
Not every export contains your conversations
Some self-service exports only contain basic account details. For several apps, your chats are only available through a data request to support. Each app guide says which case applies.
Which app are you leaving?
Pick one app at a time. Chai's mobile app and Chai Web Pro are separate products with separate accounts.