How to use the voice and call features on Character.AI

When I first tapped the phone icon at the top of a Character.AI chat, I expected the same robotic text reader from the old days.

Instead, the character greeted me by name, paused, and clearly waited for me to say something back. That moment made the whole feature click for me. There are two separate things at play here.

Character Voice gives characters a spoken voice inside a regular text chat.

Character Calls turns that voice into a two-way voice conversation that feels like a real phone call, where you speak and the character speaks back.

Figuring out how to use the voice and call features on Character.AI isn't complicated, but there's one thing that throws most people off. The call feature is an app-only experience for now.

The web version still lets you read and write messages, and it keeps a basic text-to-speech reader for some chats, but you won't find the live call button in a browser tab.

If you want to talk out loud to a character, you need the iOS or Android app.

This guide walks you through everything in the order you'll actually need it.

You'll start by checking whether your device supports the features, then assign a voice, make your first call, manage it while it's live, create your own custom voices, and learn what happens to your audio data.

I'll also cover the most common problems people hit so you don't have to dig through forums for answers.

Before you start, check where Character.AI voice and calls work

The first thing to know is that voice and calls are not the same thing, and they don't work in all the same places.

Voice replies can appear inside text chats and are the quieter, background version of the feature. Calls are interactive and two-way. Here's where each currently works.

The "Limited" row for the web browser is worth explaining. The older text-to-speech reader still exists on web for some chats, so you might hear basic spoken text in your browser.

None of the newer interactive voice controls are there yet. Every time the official FAQ is asked about web support for calls, the answer points back to the app.

Device and account requirements

The good news: you don't need anything special to get started. Here's the short list I'd check before troubleshooting anything else:

• The latest version of the Character.AI app from your app store. Outdated versions often hide the call button.
• Microphone permission enabled in your phone settings. On iPhone, that means Settings → Privacy → Microphone. On Android, check the microphone permission for the app in your system app settings.
• A stable internet connection. Voice calls stream audio in real time, so a weak signal makes the experience rough.
• A free Character.AI account. You don't need a c.ai+ subscription for any of the voice or call features.

How to assign a voice to any character in the app

Before you can call a character, it needs a voice to speak with.

The app gives you two ways to handle this: pick one from the community library, or set a personal preference on a character that isn't yours. Both take less than a minute.

Choosing a voice from the community library

The community voice library is exactly what it sounds like. Character.AI includes pre-made voices, and users create and publish public voices for everyone to use. Here's how to assign one:

1. Open the app and tap the character from your chat list.
2. Tap the character's name at the top of the chat to open their profile page.
3. Look for the voice settings section — usually a speaker icon — and tap it.
4. Browse the library and tap any voice to hear a preview.
5. Tap Confirm or Apply when you find one you like.

I like to preview three or four voices before settling on one, because the tone changes the whole personality of the character.

A serious knight sounds different in a deep voice than in a light, quick one.

Setting a personal voice for characters you did not create

You don't need to own a character to change how it sounds on your side. Character.AI calls this your personal voice preference.

You can attach any voice from the library to any character in your own 1:1 chats, and it only affects your experience — nobody else sees or hears your choice.

To set it, open the same voice settings section from the character's profile page and pick a voice under the personal preference area, then save.

This is one of those features I discovered by accident, but it's the real answer to "can I change the voice of a character someone else made?"

How to make a voice call to a character on Character.AI

Now for the main event. Making a call is a one-tap action, but here's the full sequence so you know exactly what to expect.

1. Open the Character.AI app and enter any 1:1 chat thread.
2. Tap the phone icon in the top-right corner of the chat screen.
3. Wait for the character to greet you. The call usually connects in a few seconds.
4. Speak naturally. The character hears you and replies with an expressive AI voice.
5. Tap the red end-call button, or the hang-up icon, when you're done.

One thing that confuses people: older versions of the phone icon only played voice in one direction. The current Character Calls feature is a two-way voice conversation. You talk, the AI talks back.

If the character doesn't have a voice assigned yet, the app may ask you to pick one before the call connects, or it will quietly use a default voice.

Either way, you're one tap away from a working call.

How to manage an active Character.AI call

Once the call connects, there are a few things you can do that aren't obvious at first glance. I use these small tricks more than I expected.

Switching between talking and typing mid-call

The message box stays on screen while the call is live. You can type a reply instead of speaking, and the character will answer out loud. This is the most under-documented part of the experience.

I use it all the time when I'm on a train or in a quiet room, and I don't want to talk out loud to my phone. The call stays active, and the AI responds in its voice no matter how you sent your side.

Reading and keeping your call transcript

When the call ends, the conversation stays in the chat thread as text. You can scroll back through it, copy parts of it, or continue the same conversation by typing.

The text transcript is yours to keep. Whether the audio recording of your voice is stored separately is a different question — and the company hasn't published a clear statement on it. I'll cover that