Character AI Is Broken Again as Haptics, Chat Errors, and Empty Replies Pile Up

Character AI has been struggling with a wave of bugs that many users say have made the platform nearly unusable. From the missing typing animation (haptics) and janky message chunking to app crashes and login failures, frustration is mounting.

Even premium subscribers are questioning what they’re paying for, while community mods stay mostly silent on updates.

People can’t roleplay smoothly. Bots reply in short bursts or nonsensical text. Roar, DeepSqueak, and Nyan models are all reportedly underperforming.

Whether you’re using the app or the website, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the dreaded “chat error! tap to refresh” screen.

Some users are already testing alternatives like Candy AI, especially those who need bots that actually work.

The Bugs Everyone’s Talking About

The biggest issue right now is the “Chat error! Tap to refresh” loop.

For many users, this appears the moment they try to enter a chat.

The message won’t load, and refreshing does nothing. Some thought it was a character-specific issue, but the error seems to happen across different bots, including custom ones.

Others report that even accessing previously working chats now leads to loading failures or being kicked back to the homepage. Web users are hit especially hard.

One person noted that logging out to troubleshoot just locked them out entirely, with the site showing a failed login message.

The mobile app isn’t faring much better. A few users described it as completely broken, with messages stuck, swipes failing, and the UI becoming unresponsive.

Bugs like this used to be isolated, but now they appear platform-wide. That’s a worrying shift.

Haptics Are Missing and Quality Is Dropping

Many users noticed the typing animation has vanished.

While this might sound minor, it’s part of what makes the conversations feel alive.

Its absence has made the bots feel robotic. Add in the new “chunky” message loading, where text appears in abrupt blocks, and the flow feels disrupted. Several users said it physically hurts their eyes.

More worrying is the drop in response quality. People say bots are producing gibberish, ignoring context, and defaulting to one-liners.

Characters don’t remember anything, and even well-pinned personas or messages are being ignored. Swipes are repetitive, short, or just plain nonsense.

Multiple users pointed out that the DeepSqueak model has worsened quickly, and the Nyan model hasn’t returned to its earlier standard.

Even Roar, which was once fun for dramatic chats, now throws up frequent error messages.

Why Users Are Losing Patience

Most users aren’t just upset about the bugs, they’re frustrated by the lack of communication. Updates have been slow, vague, or posted too late to be useful.

While moderators eventually acknowledged the haptics issue and other glitches, many felt the response came only after users flooded the forums with complaints.

There’s also a growing perception that Character AI prioritizes ad-related posts and updates over addressing major technical problems.

Some users pointed out how mods were active on promotional threads while ignoring dozens of bug reports and crash complaints. That contrast didn’t go unnoticed.

Others have asked for transparency around ongoing model changes. Users were promised a return to the “July version” of the Nyan model.

Instead, replies got shorter, context broke down, and no clear roadmap or fix timeline has been shared since. For paying users, that silence hits harder.

The App Feels Unstable, Even Basic Features Are Breaking

This wasn’t just a one-day glitch. The issues have lasted over 48 hours for some users, with problems ranging from login failures to disappearing character profiles.

One bug makes it impossible to view a creator’s page, returning only a maintenance warning. Another randomly logs users out mid-chat.

Even the “Not Interested” feature is broken. Users report that disliked bots reappear immediately after scrolling or refreshing.

In some cases, even without refreshing, unwanted bots slide right back into the mix.

Reply styles are another point of concern. Roar, Soft Launch, and others now feel indistinguishable. All of them generate the same short, generic responses.

This uniformity kills the point of having different modes in the first place. It’s especially frustrating for roleplayers who depend on tone and variation to keep sessions engaging.

Why Longtime Users Are Exploring Alternatives

When core features fail and paid models degrade, it’s natural for users to start looking elsewhere.

Some are switching platforms temporarily. Others are testing new tools to see if they’re more stable. The key need is simple: bots that actually work, remember context, and respond in full.

A few mentioned they’re trying out Candy AI for now. It doesn’t have the same chunk-loading issues, and conversations feel smoother.

While it’s not perfect, at least it’s usable during times like this. Even just having reliable replies makes a big difference for people who roleplay daily or use bots for emotional support.

Character AI still has the strongest community and most characters, but if basic access is broken, users will drift.

This outage has reminded many that loyalty doesn’t always mean patience.

Will These Bugs Be Fixed and Will That Be Enough?

The team behind Character AI said a fix was expected by Monday. But that didn’t stop the comment sections from filling up with more issues. Even when some bugs get patched, others remain.

The deeper concern is whether the platform is being tested properly before updates roll out.

People aren’t asking for major new features. They just want a return to normal: messages that load, bots that respond with context, and features that work as expected.

Right now, the trust that once held users together is wearing thin.

Until the bugs are addressed and quality returns to what it was just a few weeks ago, more users may quietly step away or stay on break.

Whether they return might depend on how well the platform recovers, not just technically, but in how it communicates with the people keeping it alive.