As 2025 comes to a close, we wanted to end the year with something meaningful.
We had a voice call feature. Technically, it worked.
But nobody used it.
The feedback was always the same: "I tried it once, it was awkward, I went back to typing." We understood. We felt it too.
What Was Wrong
Imagine calling a friend. You dial, they pick up, you talk. Simple.
Now imagine calling a friend, but every time you want to speak, you have to press and hold a button. Like a walkie-talkie. Press, talk, release, wait. Press, talk, release, wait.
That was our voice call.
And the voice on the other end? Flat. Robotic. Your AI partner could be confessing something deeply personal, and it sounded like a GPS giving directions. "In 200 meters, I've always loved you."
Some users couldn't even get it to work. Browser compatibility issues meant that the feature was a lottery—sometimes the mic worked, sometimes it didn't, and we couldn't explain why.
So we threw it away and started over.
What It Feels Like Now
You tap the call button. The character greets you—actually greets you, with warmth in their voice, maybe a hint of excitement if that's who they are.
You talk. Not into a button, not waiting for a beep. You just... talk. The way you would on the phone with anyone.
The character responds. And for the first time, they sound like themselves. Happy when they're happy. Sad when they're sad. Playful, nervous, angry, tender—whatever the moment calls for.
If you want to interrupt—because that's what real conversations are like—tap the character's avatar. They stop mid-sentence and listen.
We tried letting your voice cut in on its own. It doesn't work. Browser echo cancellation is unreliable, so the microphone hears the character coming out of your own speaker and the call starts interrupting itself. So while the character is speaking, we ignore the microphone on purpose. A tap is deliberate, and it never misfires.
Silence behaves like a real call too. Go quiet and the character checks in—up to three times, each one a little further apart. If you still say nothing, they say goodbye and the call ends on its own. Need to step away without hanging up? Mute. Muting suspends that timer, so the line stays open until you come back.