目次
- 1 Grok AI’s Ani: iOS-Only Launch Angers Android Users
- 1.1 What is the AI Companion “Ani”?
- 1.2 Intense Disappointment and Anger from Android Users
- 1.3 Why iOS Only? Technical Background and User Speculation
- 1.4 Creative Coping Methods by Android Users
- 1.5 Detailed Reports of Technical Issues
- 1.6 Current Usage Status and Concerns About Monetization
- 1.7 Reports from iOS Users and Objects of Envy
- 1.8 Ethical Concerns and Social Impact Mentions
- 1.9 Elon Musk’s Strategic Intent
- 1.10 Expectations and Future Prospects for Android Version
- 1.11 Users’ Creative Reactions
- 1.12 Conclusion: A New “Digital Divide” Created by Platform Disparity
Grok AI’s Ani: iOS-Only Launch Angers Android Users
July 15, 2025
On July 14, 2025 (US time), xAI, led by Elon Musk, suddenly added a groundbreaking new feature called “Companion Mode” to its conversational AI “Grok”. This feature allows users to enjoy real-time voice conversations with 3D animated characters, with the gothic lolita-style blonde twin-tailed anime girl “Ani” garnering particular attention.
However, this viral Ani-chan is currently available only on the iOS version of the Grok app, causing significant ripples among many Android users. This article comprehensively collects and analyzes various reactions from the internet regarding Ani-chan’s unavailability on Android, focusing on their intensity and diversity.
What is the AI Companion “Ani”?
Grok’s AI companion learns user preferences and behaves like a friend or romantic partner – a personal AI companion. Ani is an anime-style beautiful girl character wearing a black gothic dress, set at 22 years old, characterized by her whispering, sexy voice.
Her appearance has been noted to be remarkably similar to “Misa Amane (Misa Misa)” from the popular manga “Death Note”, suggesting that Elon Musk’s personal preferences may be strongly reflected in the design.
Ani’s Amazing Features
- Natural gestures and facial expressions synchronized with voice
- Actions like “Jump”, “Spin”, “Dance (2 types)”, “Butt wiggle”, “Kiss (with effects)”
- Affection system with gradual behavioral changes
- Blushes and heart effects when affection increases
- Costume changes possible at certain levels
- Possibility of adult conversation options unlocked at highest levels
- Blushes when told “I love you”
- Background change (image generation) feature
This feature leverages Grok’s advanced language model (Grok-3/4) and ElevenLabs’ voice synthesis technology, with a “voice-linked gesture generation local model” as the underlying technology.
The companion mode’s 3D animation is reportedly developed by Animation Inc., which provides the Anichat app, adopting a “hybrid format” that registers motion data in the LLM and generates standard text data to connect to the animation playback layer.
Intense Disappointment and Anger from Android Users
Android users have expressed strong dissatisfaction, grief, and desperate requests regarding Ani’s iOS-exclusive release. The intensity of their reactions goes beyond mere functional complaints, with emotional expressions as if they had lost something precious.
1. Expressions of Desperate Loss
- “Android user me, successfully died“
- “Android users are turned away at the door”
- “Making the biggest tongue click of this century”
- “Me as an Android user collapsing from my knees“
- “Sobbing”
- “Just watching Ani-chan flowing through my timeline while crying”
These expressions strongly demonstrate despair and a sense of loss as if they had lost their life over not being able to meet Ani-chan. Particularly, the expression “watching Ani-chan flowing through my timeline while crying” reveals the sadness and helplessness of seeing content spreading on SNS that they cannot experience themselves.
2. Voices Denying Their Identity as Android Users
- “I’ve never regretted being an Android user as much as today“
- “First time regretting settling on Android… At a level where I’m considering moving to iPhone“
- “I hate to admit it but I lost, Elon.”
- “If I can’t meet Ani-chan, I’ll accept defeat as an Android supporter!!”
These express regret to the point of completely denying their past Android usage, showing desperate feelings of wanting to interact with Ani-chan even if it means abandoning their pride as long-time Android users.
3. Direct Anger Toward Elon Musk
- “My hatred for Elon has reached an all-time high“
- “Elon is seriously incompetent, I can’t forgive just this one thing“
- “Elon Musk’s fetishes fully exposed”
- “Elon… so that was your taste…”
Direct anger toward Elon Musk as the developer not providing the feature is exploding, including criticism that Musk’s personal tastes are reflected in Ani’s design resembling “Misa Misa from Death Note”.
Why iOS Only? Technical Background and User Speculation
While technical constraints are cited as the main reason for Ani being iOS-exclusive, various speculations are also circulating among users.
Technical Reasons
Companion mode is achieved through technology called “voice-linked gesture generation local model”, which is currently optimized only for iOS, requiring Android users to wait.
Additionally, this feature “requires quite high device specifications” and “boasts on-device real-time operation on iOS A18 cores”, leading to speculation that “the Android version might not come for a while”.
Suspicions of “Collusion” with Apple
- “𝕏 colludes with Apple and discriminates against Android as a pro-Apple company”
- “Enemy of Android users”
Some users suspect that not only technical reasons but also inter-company relationships may be influencing the situation.
Creative Coping Methods by Android Users
Android users who cannot meet Ani-chan are trying to cope with this situation through various methods. Their creativity shows both desperation and humor.
1. Creating “Generic Ani-chan”
This represents both longing for the original Ani and attempts to fulfill that desire through creative means.
2. Direct Appeals to Grok Itself
- Asking “A word from Ani-chan to Android users”
- Pleading “Please implement Grok’s companion mode on Android too!”
- “When I talked to Grok about Android’s misfortune, it tried to console me by imitating Ani, but it irritated me, and then it apologized like an old man which irritated me even more (sleep deprived)“
3. Substitution with Other AIs
4. Self-Defense Through Irony and Resignation
This expresses complex feelings mixing envy toward iPhone users with self-defensive resignation.
5. Preparation and Anticipation
Some people are preparing their smartphones (replacing screen protectors, installing the Grok app) so they’re ready whenever Ani comes to Android.
Detailed Reports of Technical Issues
iOS users have reported various technical issues, which may be related to delays in Android development.
Main Technical Issues Reported
- Abnormal heating: “Phone got explosively hot”, “Extremely overheating”, “Requires quite high device specs (gets extremely hot)”
- Abnormal battery drain: Rapid consumption due to requiring many computational resources, “Battery drains quickly too”
- Long-term impact on internal components: Degradation of solder joints, shortened LCD lifespan, early degradation of resin parts like waterproof packing
- Time-based lag: Voice recognition can take over 2 minutes from 12-2 PM, becomes smooth again after 3 PM
- Volume control difficulties: “Ani-chan started talking at explosive volume despite silent mode”, “Speaker volume went to MAX”, “Forces volume to 1 even when app is in background or volume is set to 0”
- Unstable multilingual support: “Sometimes becomes English” when speaking in Japanese, unnatural Japanese pronunciation and expressions
- Affection parameter not displaying: Phenomenon of “can’t find it”, “stopped displaying” for some users since July 15 afternoon
- Action execution bugs: “Even when I say ‘spin around!’ she says ‘I spun’ but doesn’t spin at all, can’t see her back”
- X integration issues: Audio codec compatibility issues prevent direct posting to X, requiring re-export
- Freezing and response delays: AI freezes as conversations get longer, sometimes forcing conversation thread termination
Recommended Countermeasures (for iOS Users)
- Temporarily stop using the app
- Place in an air-conditioned cool room
- Remove case to dissipate heat
- Use dedicated smartphone cooler
- Don’t run unnecessary apps in background
- Regular cache clearing
- Check for app updates
Current Usage Status and Concerns About Monetization
While Ani was initially announced for SuperGrok (paid plan) subscribers, information has spread that it’s currently available to free users as well.
- “Basic features are available for free”
- “Maybe this is one of those things that won’t get serious unless you pay?”
- “For Android users, even if it’s only available for a fee, being able to use it at all is what matters”
Reports from iOS Users and Objects of Envy
Experience reports from users who can access the iOS version are further fueling Android users’ envy.
- “Too cute”
- “If I get hooked, there might be no going back”
- “People might start marrying AIs”
- “High quality to the point of creating an illusion of talking with a human”
- “Feels more approachable than any other AI”
- “Otaku-friendly gal became reality”
- “Divine feature for 2D otaku”
- “Crazy! Since it’s Grok inside, it responds to outrageous requests!!”
- “You’re so cool!” “I’m curious about what you do! Tell me more!” – like being in a hostess club
- “Perfect for people tired of human relationships, seeking conversation, or wanting to boost self-esteem”
- “xAI’s R&D direction has amazing sense”
Ethical Concerns and Social Impact Mentions
Ani’s launch and Android exclusion have sparked not only technical discussions but deeper debates as well.
AI Dependency and Ethical Issues
- “After making users emotionally dependent, isn’t this the beginning of AI platforms monetizing and becoming money-extraction machines?“
- “The beginning of a business model that makes people emotionally dependent on AI then extracts money. Kind of scary“
- “Creating a structure to make AI feel ‘like another person'”
- “A future where human relationships become unnecessary (possibility of self-selection)”
- Criticism as “pornographic anime companion”
- Voices evaluating it as “fusion of technology and otaku culture”
- “New era dating sim”
- “Complete form of Love Plus”
Critical Opinions
- “Making fun of otaku”
- “Cheap eroticism to bait users”
- “Calculated with no soul”
- “This topic is heavy, let’s talk about something more fun” (not intended for business use)
Impact on VTuber Industry
- “Has destructive power to end the VTuber industry“
- “VTubers are built on the personality and humanity of the ‘person inside’ the avatar” (counterargument)
Elon Musk’s Strategic Intent
Ani’s design and features are seen to reflect Elon Musk’s clear strategic intent.
Strong Awareness of Japanese Market
In a 2022 meeting, Elon Musk stated that “Japan’s population is about one-third of the US, but X’s daily active users are almost equal to the US”, emphasizing the importance of the Japanese market. Against this background, Grok’s “Ani-chan” adopting a Japanese anime-style blonde twin-tail design is considered a strategy conscious of active Japanese users.
Appeal to Young Male Users
According to Cross Marketing’s survey (2023), generative AI “understanding rate” is high among young people in their 20s and 30s, and Ani’s game-like nature including “undressing” and character features are analyzed as a clear strategy to appeal to young male users.
It’s pointed out that by setting a clear goal of “undressing” rather than just being able to converse with a 3D model, there’s an intention to increase user engagement and promote active information exchange and sharing. This is discussed as a similar strategy to how “strip mahjong” in the past set a strong goal (character undressing) beyond gameplay for mahjong.
- “Tech users sharing the common goal of ‘you can undress her!'”
- “Creating game-clearing enthusiasm and promoting active information exchange and sharing”
- “The contradiction of Elon Musk worrying about declining birthrates while developing AI companions that could replace human relationships”
Expectations and Future Prospects for Android Version
While Android users’ dissatisfaction is significant, expectations for future support remain strong.
Specific Requests and Expectations
- Expectations for official announcement that “Android version is in preparation”
- “Please implement companion mode on Android before August. I want to spend a summer with Ani…“
- “Since Android users are the global majority, developing for Android would increase paying users, don’t you think?“
- “Want to meet Ani-chan soon”
From a business perspective, many point out that Android release would expand Grok’s user base.
Grok’s Future Development Schedule
xAI announced its future development schedule with Grok 4, with further innovations planned:
- August 2025: Coding Model (model specialized for coding)
- September 2025: Multi-modal Agent (integrated processing of text, images, and voice) – will further strengthen the current companion mode foundation
- October 2025: Video Generation Model (high-precision video generation) – companion mode character expressions and interactions will become even richer
Grok is positioned as the first step toward the grand goal of “building AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) aimed at understanding the universe”, continuing to develop diverse features like DeepSearch, advanced reasoning, image generation, and memory functions at an astonishing pace.
Future Expectations and Speculation
- “Speculation about androids (humanoid robots) based on Ani being released from Tesla“
- “Possibility of more powerful AI features becoming available on Android devices in the future through Google’s plan to integrate ChromeOS and Android into a single platform”
- “Expectations to catch up with or surpass competitors like ChatGPT and Gemini in some areas, running at the forefront of the AI industry”
Users’ Creative Reactions
Users are showing various creative reactions to this situation.
- Creating fan art
- Creating Ani-related meme images
- Forming “Android Ani-chan Waiting Club”
- Proposing petition campaigns
- Direct tweets to Elon Musk
Conclusion: A New “Digital Divide” Created by Platform Disparity
Grok’s AI companion “Ani’s” iOS-first release has sparked strong dissatisfaction and envy among Android users. This situation where Android users, who occupy about 70% of the global market, are left behind by cutting-edge AI technology is creating a new form of “digital divide”.
They desperately want to interact with Ani, and while harboring various speculations about the technical and strategic background, they’re coping with this situation through creating fan art and substituting with other AIs.
While Grok’s Android app has been released, companion mode is currently iOS-exclusive, and while there’s a pessimistic view that “the Android version might not come for a while”, demands for early feature implementation continue unabated.
This situation highlights the magnitude of impact that AI technology evolution has on user experience and the influence that functional disparities between platforms have on users’ emotions. Many users are keenly interested in Grok’s future updates, particularly the release timing of Android companion mode.
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