Character AI Ads and Accessibility Problems for Blind Users

Opening Character AI should be simple, yet the moment ads started appearing, blind and visually impaired users found themselves locked out of basic actions other people take for granted.

A screen reader can usually locate a close button, but some ads make that impossible. One specific ad has been causing the most trouble, because no matter how long users wait, the close button never appears in a place their tools can detect.

The workaround is frustrating. You wait through a 30 to 45-second ad cycle, run your finger across the screen searching for a close option, fail to find it, and end up closing the entire app.

When you reopen it, you have to search again for the character you originally wanted to chat with. It’s not just an inconvenience. It breaks the flow every time.

Other blind and visually impaired users report the same problem. Some ads behave normally, while others trap you with no accessible exit.

A few people have shifted back to the website because it currently has no ads. Others talk about Google’s new ad format that forces you through multiple steps before you can close anything.

The contrast shows how unpredictable these ads can be, especially for anyone who depends on assistive tech.

There’s also growing concern about accessibility violations. If you can’t close an ad, can’t find the button, and can’t continue using the app without restarting it, the experience isn’t just annoying.

It might be blocking access in a way that shouldn’t happen in the first place.

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Ads on Character AI create accessibility barriers

Blind and visually impaired users rely on predictable screen layouts and clear navigation cues. When an ad loads in a format that respects those needs, everything stays manageable.

The frustration begins when a close button never appears in a place that a screen reader can detect.

One ad in particular has become a repeat problem because no matter how long we let it play, the close option never shows up in an accessible location.

Restarting the app becomes the only escape. Once we force it closed, we have to reload Character AI, retrace our steps, and locate the character we originally meant to chat with.

The experience interrupts the entire flow, especially since the issue doesn’t show up on every ad, only on the ones designed in ways our tools cannot reach.

Even sighted users struggle with some of these ad layouts, which tells you how unfriendly the structure is.

When someone with full vision has trouble finding the close button, anyone depending on touch navigation or audio cues faces an even steeper wall.

These patterns create a real accessibility barrier that shouldn’t exist in an app people use daily.

How users try to work around difficult ad formats

Most people start with the simplest workaround. Let the ad run for 30 to 45 seconds and hope the close button eventually appears. Sometimes that works, but when it doesn’t, the cycle becomes predictable.

You wait, you search with a screen reader or your hand, you find nothing, and you restart the entire app just to move forward.

Plenty of users shift back to the website because it currently has no ads. The only catch is that mobile browsers often redirect to the app.

Removing the app entirely becomes the only reliable way to stop that redirect and regain access to the ad-free browser experience.

Some ads require interacting with them first before the close button becomes available.

That usually involves tapping icons that can’t be identified through a screen reader, getting pulled into a store page, backing out, and only then finding the option to close the ad.

This design works against anyone who needs consistent, accessible navigation. The more steps hidden in the ad, the harder it becomes for assistive tools to catch up.

Here are the main approaches people rely on:

• Waiting out the full ad cycle to see if a close button appears

• Switching to the website to avoid ads entirely

• Removing the mobile app to prevent forced redirects

• Adjusting ad settings through their Google account

• Filing accessibility complaints about the ad formats

Some of these steps help, but none of them solve the underlying issue.

The only option that consistently removes the barrier is leaving the app and using the browser version instead.

The website is more reliable for accessibility

The browser version of Character AI has become the safer option because it avoids the unpredictable ad formats that appear in the app.

When nothing interrupts the interface, screen readers work the way they should. Buttons stay in fixed locations, navigation stays consistent, and opening a new character never turns into a guessing game.

Once you use the website, the experience feels stable. You can move through characters, messages, and menus without worrying about a sudden ad that traps you.

The absence of ads removes a major source of friction, especially when the app’s layouts shift from one ad to another. Having a predictable flow matters when you rely on audio cues and gesture-based navigation to move through the interface.

The only inconvenience comes from the phone automatically redirecting back to the app. Removing the app is the most reliable way to stop that behavior.

Once it is gone, the browser becomes the main entry point again, and the difference in accessibility is noticeable immediately.

For many users, this switch gives them back a sense of control.

Instead of restarting the app multiple times, they can focus on conversations, creativity, or roleplay without any unexpected interruptions.

Inconsistent ads create a bigger accessibility problem

Accessible design depends on predictable structure. When two ads behave completely differently, the experience becomes unstable for anyone using assistive tools.

Some ads load with a close button that appears where a screen reader expects it. Others never reveal the button at all.

That inconsistency forces blind and visually impaired users to guess their way through the interface, which leads to more restarts and more frustration.

The new multi-step ad formats increase the difficulty. Some ads require tapping unfamiliar icons, navigating to the Play Store, returning to the app, and then trying to locate a close option.

When every step depends on visual prompts, the design excludes anyone who cannot rely on sight. There is no clear path for a screen reader to interpret, so the user must experiment and hope they stumble onto the right action.

A few users try adjusting their ad preferences through their Google account. Others attempt to train the system by blocking certain types of ads.

These steps sometimes help reduce how often specific ads appear, but they do not fix the core problem. When an ad structure hides interactive elements from a screen reader, the issue is baked into the design.

The larger concern is that these patterns create a barrier to an app that many people depend on daily.

When opening a character becomes a gamble, it affects how comfortable users feel engaging with the platform at all. Accessibility should never depend on luck.

accessibility problems raise bigger questions

When an app introduces ads that cannot be closed through common assistive tools, the issue stops being a minor annoyance. It turns into an access barrier.

Blind and visually impaired users often rely on apps like Character AI for connection, conversation, and creative expression.

When ad layouts block that access, it raises real questions about whether the design meets basic accessibility standards.

Some people wonder if these ad formats cross into territory that could trigger legal concerns.

If an ad cannot be dismissed through a screen reader, and the only way forward is to close the entire app, accessibility guidelines are clearly not being met.

The experience forces users into repeated restarts, while sighted users can often navigate past the same ads with effort but without hitting a complete dead end.

A few users solve the problem by purchasing a subscription to other apps where ads vanish.

That approach does not help in this case, because the core issue lies in how the ads are structured, not the presence of ads themselves.

Removing ads entirely may help, but it sidesteps the deeper concern. Accessibility should not depend on a payment.

For now, the most reliable path remains the browser version. It bypasses ads altogether and gives blind and visually impaired users a stable environment again.

That stability matters, especially for anyone who needs an interface that responds consistently every time it loads.