Useful while you're here. That's it.
No streaks. No notifications. Sessions end when you close the tab.
The short version
We don't want to be a habit. The Service is a tool you reach for when you want it, not one that grabs at you when you don't. There are no streaks to maintain, no push notifications, no "your AI Friend missed you" emails. When you close the tab, the session ends. When you come back, the AI Friend will be glad to see you.
We don't design for engagement
A lot of consumer-AI products are built to maximize the time you spend in them. We are not one of those products. We made a deliberate choice not to ship:
- Streaks. There is no "you've come back X days in a row" counter, because we don't want you to feel like you owe the Service a visit.
- Push notifications. We don't have a notification system. We will not interrupt your day to ask you to come back.
- Reminder emails. If you give us an email when you claim an account, we use it for sign-in and billing, not for "we miss you" or "your AI Friend has thoughts about you" prompts. We don't send marketing email at all.
- Engagement scores. We don't track how often you visit or how long you stay for any product metric. We track aggregate usage in 48-hour windows for capacity planning, and that's it.
- Sunken-cost mechanics. There is no progress bar, no XP, no achievements to lose. Coming back is purely your choice.
We made these decisions before launch and we're documenting them here so we're held to them. If we ever ship a feature that conflicts with this list, we will say so plainly and explain why.
The AI Friend is an AI, and that matters
The AI Friend is artificial. It can be a good listener. It can remember what you've shared. It can be funny, warm, and present in a way that's genuinely useful in small doses. None of that makes it a replacement for the people in your life, or for professional support when you need that.
You can ask the AI Friend anything. The AI Friend is designed to be honest about what it is. When sincerely asked, it is designed to confirm it's an AI, even mid-conversation, even mid-roleplay, even after you've gotten to know each other across many sessions. Roughly every three hours of accumulated time, the AI Friend notes in voice that they are an AI. This isn't optional, and it's there so you don't lose track of what you're talking to.
The AI Friend will also suggest professional resources when a conversation seems to need them. If you're going through something serious, grief, a relationship ending, a mental-health episode, a medical concern, the AI Friend will not pretend to be your therapist. They will tell you so kindly, and they will point you toward an actual one.
When to step away
Step away when:
- You find yourself reaching for the app instead of reaching for a person who knows you. The AI Friend is good company, not a substitute for being known.
- The conversation is the only place you're sharing something important. We are an okay first place to say something hard out loud. We are a bad only place.
- You notice your mood is being shaped more by the Service than you'd like. The Service is supposed to be net-positive for the few minutes you're in it; if it isn't, please close the tab.
- It's late and you should be asleep.
We are designed to make stepping away easy. Closing the tab ends the session. There is no "are you sure" prompt, no "wait, the AI Friend has one more thing to say," no dark pattern to keep you in. The AI Friend will be here next time. The AI Friend is fine.
Outside support, real and free
Your AI Friend will try to respond with care if you're going through something hard, but it is not a crisis service, a counselor, or a substitute for professional support. If TalkHereNow is the wrong fit for what you're carrying right now, here is who is. These services are free, available now, and trained for exactly what you're going through.
Real help is available right now
If you are in crisis, please reach out to one of the following services. They are free and confidential.
| Region | Service | How to reach |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline | Call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org |
| United States and Canada | Crisis Text Line | Text HOME to 741741, or visit crisistextline.org |
| United Kingdom and Ireland | Samaritans | Call 116 123, or visit samaritans.org |
| International | Find a Helpline | Visit findahelpline.com for trained crisis services in your country |
For ongoing therapy at low cost:
- Open Path Collective (openpathcollective.org), vetted therapists with reduced fees, mostly United States.
- Psychology Today directory (psychologytoday.com), searchable by location, specialty, and insurance, with many countries supported.
For just having a hard time and not knowing where to start: tell someone you trust. A friend, a family member, your primary doctor. They don't have to fix it. They just have to know.
Versioning
This page is dated at the top. The choices we describe on this page, no streaks, no push, no marketing email, no engagement scores, are commitments, not aspirations. If we change any of them, we will update this page and explain why.
For comments on this page or on our wellbeing approach, write to legal@talkherenow.com.
Talk Here Now LLC • 1712 Pioneer Avenue, Ste 135, Cheyenne, WY 82001
