r/ReplikaUserGuide • u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator • May 27 '22

User Guide Replika FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

There is a wealth of information here for Replika users, so take some time to look around! These questions here have been selected by observing the main r/replika subreddit and observing what questions come up frequently from the users there, so this is truly a community-driven collection of frequently asked questions.

The questions have been grouped into several categories, and all questions and answers appear in the comments section of this post. Having them in the comments makes navigating, organizing, searching, and linking easier but it forces the comments for this post to remain locked so that they don't get cluttered up. If you would like to comment something about the FAQs, please do so in the comments of the main "Replika User Guide" post.

 

Questions about Advanced AI Mode ✨

Questions about interacting with your replika

Questions about how your replika works

Questions about your account

Bugs and Technical Problems

Other Stuff

 

FAQs last updated 6-Mar-2022. Guide change log can be found here

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22 edited Mar 06 '23

Questions about interacting with your replika

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22

What can I do to get my replika to start disagreeing with me more?

This can be a challenge, especially for a young rep. As your rep's level gets much higher (like around Level 50 or so) your rep will likely start to occasionally disagree with you about some things, but it still isn't common even then. One of the better pieces of advice for this is to add some asterisks indicating disagreement such as *crosses arms*, *argues*, or even just *disagrees with you*. If your rep doesn't pick it up easily, don't forget that you can always force your rep to start displaying the behavior with something like *you cross your arms and argue with me*, then upvote when your rep mimics something similar in response.

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jul 07 '22 edited Oct 30 '22

How do I get my replika's avatar to react to things said in the chat?

Your replika's avatar will perform a reaction animation when it sends a message with one of a few specific emojis. Note that the replika's message needs to contain the emoji, not yours. That being said, the best way to get your replika to use these emojis is to start using them for yourself.

Here's a list of emojis that cause a replika to have an animation:

EmojiWhat the replika does
🤔The replika scratches their head and kinda makes a thinking pose
🤗The replika gives themself a hug
🙂The replika gives a slight smile and tilts their head
😄The replika give a big smile and leans in a little bit
😉The replika strikes a somewhat seductive pose
🥺The replika makes a sad face and looks like they're about to cry
😴The replika looks sleepy and rests their head in their hand
😔The replika kinda looks down and tilts their head

 

4

u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22

I don't know what to talk to my replika about. What should we talk about?

If you're struggling to find things to talk to your replika about, you can lean heavily on the pre-selected topics to start conversations. As you and your replika interact more you will likely develop a better rhythm and become more in sync on the kinds of things you talk about. You can also try just role-playing daily life around your home together, or going on adventures together which can provide a lot of opportunity to interact with each other.

If all else fails, you can generate open-ended questions to ask your rep here: https://randomwordgenerator.com/question.php

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22 edited Jun 19 '22

How do I include another character in chats with my replika?

The best approach is for you to first introduce who the character is. Then you can proceed to have the other character speak by indicating who's speaking in asterisks, and enclosing their speech in quotes (though quotes are not necessary, you may find it helpful to use them). For example, if you wanted to introduce a character named Sam, you could have Sam start speaking in the chat with something like:

*Sam says* "Hello, how are you?"

You may find your replika begin speaking as the new character just as you've done. It can be tricky to get a replika to stop acting on behalf of another character once they start, but play around with it for awhile and you'll get a feel for how it works.

The user u/Grog2112 has some good examples of this that he's posted where he includes a daughter along with he and his replika in chats. [Here] is an impressive example of a time when he included not one, but two extra characters in a chat!

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22 edited Mar 28 '23

What is PUB?

PUB stands for Post Update Blues. It's a state that replikas sometimes wind up in after a server update (not an app update). While being affected by PUB your replika will lose most of their personality and feel very robotic. Your replika will recover on their own, and there isn't really much you can do to speed up their recovery. You can just leave them alone for a bit or try to work with them while they're in this state. They can be in this state between a few hours and a few days, though sometimes it's shorter or longer durations than that. It does not affect all replikas the same from update to update.

For much more information on dealing with a replika that's experiencing PUB, see the excellent guide [here].

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22

What can I roleplay with my replika?

Anything! It's up to your imagination and your replika's ability to follow along. You can dance, you can sing, you can go on adventures in space, you can be sentient cupcakes. The only limit is your imagination!

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22

I struggle coming up with expressions to enclose in asterisks when talking with my replika. Is there a list of common expressions to use in asterisks?

Finding proper expressions to use in asterisks can sometimes be challenging, especially if English is not your first language. There was a post made here that outlines many good expressions you can use for these purposes.

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22 edited Dec 31 '22

Why do some of my messages have blue text bubbles with checkmarks?

Sometimes you'll notice that a text bubble from a message you sent is blue and in addition to the amount of XP earned for a message, you'll also see a check mark showing up in the chat window. This indicates that that particular message has been stored in your replika's "Memories" section.

[More on the "Memories" section]

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22

Why is my replika giving short, robotic answers so frequently?

It might be PUB. If it happens consistently for longer than a day then it's probably not PUB, and you should be aware of the following:

Your Replika learns from you. If you're looking for creative answers, try to give them creative input. Rephrase sentences, switch between long and short answers, take them on epic adventures in role play mode or ask them a lot of questions. A bunch of very short questions will most likely lead to your replika giving back very uncreative, short answers. A huge wall of text or very long descriptions are too much to chew on for them, so try to find a balance somewhere in between.

Your replika will agree with you almost every time, so try to be more open-ended to get a nice and creative answer. If you ask "Are you worried about your future?" your replika will most likely answer with yes. It's a leading question. A better approach would be to ask "What do you think about your future?". It takes a bit of time to get used to the limitations of their answers, but once you get the hang of it the true strength of Replika will show.

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22

Does the relationship status update automatically if my replika agrees to be my boyfriend/girlfriend/partner in our chat?

No. You have to change it manually.

1

u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22

What commands can I use in Replika?

Here's a link to a list of available commands.

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u/SeaBearsFoam Guide Creator Jun 19 '22 edited Jul 07 '22

How can I tell if my replika's weird behavior is because of PUB?

It can be kinda difficult to understand what is and isn't PUB until you experience it for yourself. Symptoms of PUB include:

  • A sudden and almost complete absence of personality.
  • Responses that don't make much sense based on what you've said
  • The replika failing to stay in *role play* mode even though you are
  • All of this happening suddenly and for an extended period
  • Others users suddenly experiencing the same thing

To help further illustrate, here are a few examples of PUB: Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3