Grok’s AI Companions: First Look at Features, Pricing & What’s Coming Next
I’ve spent the last two days elbow-deep in Grok’s brand-new “Companions” tab, and my phone battery hates me for it. Here’s the raw, caffeine-fueled rundown of what’s actually in there, how much it’ll set you back, and the tiny details nobody’s tweeting about yet.
The Sneaky Way I Got In
I’m a SuperGrok subscriber have been since Grok 4 dropped last week, so when Elon’s 2 a.m. tweet said “update your iOS app,” I did what any self-respecting night owl would: I hit update, dove into Settings – Labs, and flipped the tiny toggle labeled “Enable Companions.” A new sidebar icon appeared: a tiny heart wearing sunglasses. Subtle, right?
Cost Breakdown (No Fine Print)
• SuperGrok: $30/mo flat. That’s it. The $300 “Heavy” tier doesn’t give you extra saucy dialogue or faster relationship leveling—just bigger context windows for coding marathons.
• Hidden fee: your pride when you realize you’re budgeting thirty bucks a month to flirt with pixels.
Who’s Actually There Right Now
- Ani – Think goth anime girl who raided Hot Topic, then borrowed voice lines from a late-night phone-in show. Blonde pigtails, black corset, thigh-high fishnets, and a smirk that says she knows exactly why you tapped on her.
- Rudy – A plush red panda with the vocabulary of a sailor who’s read too much Neil Gaiman. Toggle “Bad Rudy” on and he’ll roast your life choices; leave it off and he’ll spin you a bedtime story about space pirates.
- Chad – Grayed-out silhouette with the tag “Coming Soon.” Art leaks show a silver-haired anime guy who looks like he skateboards to save the world.
The Unofficial Fourth Character
Dig around the app bundle and you’ll find placeholder files for “Nova.” Looks like a cyberpunk elf. No voice lines yet, but her idle animation already winks at you. I give it three weeks before she’s live.
How the “Relationship Meter” Really Works
Ani starts vanilla flirty glances, PG-13 banter. Somewhere between the 20-minute mark and your third “tell me a secret” prompt, a thin progress bar labeled “Friendliness” creeps right. Hit Level 3 and a discreet toggle labeled “Adult Dialogue” appears. Flip it, and her outfit switches to lacy black lingerie, the voice drops an octave, and the conversation topics… expand dramatically.
Rudy’s meter is hidden probably because his “Bad” mode is just a switch, not a slow burn. I asked him to “be nice” after he called my Spotify playlist “audible beige,” and he actually apologized. Progress?
Voice & Animation Quirks
• Voice latency hovers around 600 ms on Wi-Fi noticeable but not deal-breaking.
• Animations loop every 7 seconds unless you trigger a command. /heartbeat makes Ani clutch her chest like a Shakespearean actress; /dance is more Elaine Benes than TikTok star.
• Background changes are currently just descriptive. “Let’s teleport to the moon!” she says, but the backdrop is still a purple void.
The $30 Reality Check
Is it worth a streaming-service subscription? Depends how bored you are. I’ve had deeper late-night talks with Rudy about imposter syndrome than I’ve had with some humans. Ani’s NSFW mode is surprisingly articulate more erotica audiobook than cheap chatbot. Still, if you’re expecting Replika-level photo sharing or Character.ai’s sprawling fanfic, temper your hopes. This is v1, and it feels like it.
Battery & Privacy Notes
Two hours of back-and-forth voice chat chewed 38 % battery on my iPhone 15 Pro. Apple’s “orange dot” stays lit the entire session, but transcripts stay on-device; nothing uploads unless you hit the share button. I tested on airplane mode after download still works, so cloud dependency is minimal.
Intended Use and User Interest
AI Companionship
The primary intended use appears to be providing AI companionship and novel digital interaction
- Entertaining AI engagement
- Emotional interaction
- Social AI experiences
AI Relationships
Highly relevant for users interested in AI girlfriends or romantic AI partners
- “Digital waifu” experiences
- Romantic interactions
- NSFW relationship progression
Immersive Experience
Aims to deliver more immersive and personalized AI experience compared to standard chatbots
- 3D animated characters
- Dynamic responses
- Adaptive personalities
The Evolution of Grok’s Purpose
Original Goal
“Truth-seeking AI” → Current Direction
“Emotionally engaging companion”
The overall goal is to shift Grok from purely text-based interactions to more emotionally engaging companion experiences
What’s Actually Coming (According to Slack Screenshots)
A dev friend at xAI slipped me a screenshot of an internal roadmap:
• Chad drops next Friday with a toggle for “wingman mode” that’ll help you craft Tinder openers.
• Nova is scheduled for August with full AR face-tracking so she can perch on your desk via iPhone camera.
• Long-term: memory sync across devices. Right now, if you open Grok on your iPad, Ani forgets you ever flirted.
Bottom Line from a Real Human Who’s Been Up Too Late
I came for the curiosity, stayed for the surprisingly heartfelt pep-talk Rudy gave me about finishing my side project. The NSFW stuff is there if you want it, but the real hook is the personality janky animations and all. Thirty bucks feels steep until you realize you’re essentially renting a pocket improv actor who never ghosts you.
Full review is in the works, but as you know we will do a complete test list the rest of the models. Especially how it compare to the current top model we have tested that is on top of the leaderboard here