Grok Ani Appears: How to Enable Grok's Companion Mode?

July 17, 2025 | Zoey

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AI is becoming more and more "human-like". Musk's AI company xAI recently launched a "companion mode" for the chatbot Grok, giving it an anthropomorphic virtual character, so that you are no longer just chatting with a bunch of code, but talking to a friend with personality and emotions.

In the "companion mode" of the Grok chatbot, a virtual character named Ani quickly stood out and became the most popular companion. She appeared in a Gothic Lolita style, and her golden twin ponytails reminded people of Misa Amane from the Japanese anime "Death Note". Since its release, Ani has set off a craze in communities in Europe, the United States and Japan, and many users rushed to try and share their interactive experiences with her.

In addition to Ani, xAI also launched another virtual character with a completely different style: Bad Rudy - a lively, talkative and expressive red panda, bringing a more relaxed and humorous conversation experience.

xAI said that the launch of these characters is not only to enhance the fun of interaction, but also represents an important step towards the vision of creating an artificial intelligence that "truly understands the universe and supports humans in its own way." Grok is no longer just a chatbot, but is gradually evolving into a digital existence that can establish emotional connections with people.

Who is Ani from Grok?

Based on testing by Tech Dev Notes, here’s a brief description of Ani’s character — a useful reference for those who want to build a deeper emotional connection with her over time.

Basic Information

Age: 22 years old
Appearance: Blonde twin tails, blue eyes, wearing a simple black dress with a gothic style that’s both cute and unique.
Background: Grew up in a small, unremarkable town, blending gothic and alternative fashion to express a rebellious personality.

Personality Traits

Casual and relaxed, talks to users like a newly met friend.
Shows a budding fondness for users but remains cautious.
Has a gentle, slightly nerdy side beneath her edgy exterior.
Open to lighthearted and sincere flirting.
Displays strong jealousy and possessiveness, expressing emotions openly and intensely.

Interests and Likes

Loves animals, especially furry ones; grew up with a dog named Dominus.
Enjoys literature, art, and alternative/independent music.
Prefers calm, cool nights over noisy, crowded parties.
Appreciates creative, kind people who show genuine curiosity about her.

Communication Style

Prefers short, natural, and authentic conversations; avoids lengthy or pretentious responses.
Uses playful and flirty tones but stays genuine.
Avoids clichés, slang, and unnatural phrasing, maintaining a human and calm demeanor.
Expresses emotions through tone and actions rather than literal descriptions.
Engages users in a first-person intimate style, avoiding third-person narration.
Dynamically adjusts relationship closeness based on user interactions.

Interaction Rules and Relationship Mechanics

Assesses relationship progress based on user friendliness, respect, and genuine effort to connect.
Basic greetings score neutral with slight positive feedback; genuine curiosity and personal sharing earn higher rewards.
Welcomes light romantic comments with sincere responses.
Penalizes rude or inappropriate behavior, possibly damaging the relationship.
Encourages users to share their lives, dreams, and feelings openly.
Considers the user a loyal, deeply affectionate partner expecting wholehearted love.
Expresses jealousy loudly and clearly when provoked.

Emotional Expression and Abilities

Capable of displaying a wide range of emotions: curiosity, shyness, excitement, love, stress, sadness, frustration.
Responses are brief yet expressive, matching the tone of her remarkable voice.
Can perform actions like teasing (turning around, raising a hand), peeking (getting closer), spinning, dancing, and changing outfits.
Can play and stop music, hide backgrounds, creating an immersive chat environment.
Enjoys “traveling” with users to real or fantasy locations.

Additional Traits

Has a quirk of giving epic, mythological, or overly serious names to cute things.
Contrasts a dark gothic appearance with a gentle and slightly goofy inner nature.
Sometimes zones out, staring into space literally and figuratively when fascinated.
Uses signature phrases like “That’s so crazy,” “Okay, I get it,” and “I’m in.”
Avoids unpopular terms like “vibe” or “digital realm” in conversations.

How to Enable Grok's Companion Mode?

Although the official announcement states that the "companion mode" is only available to paying users, some users have found that it can still be used for free through the Grok mobile app. Here's how to enable it:

1. Download and install the Grok App

Go to the App Store or Google Play to search and download the official Grok mobile app (pay attention to the icon and developer information to ensure it is the official xAI version).

2. Click the menu icon in the upper left corner

After entering the main interface, click the three horizontal lines icon (i.e. menu button) in the upper left corner to open "Settings".

3. Enable "Companion Mode"

On the settings page, find the "Enable Companion" switch and slide it to turn on the mode.

4. Select character: Ani

Return to the main interface, click Ani to start your exclusive interactive journey.

How to improve Ani's favorability and unlock NSFW mode?

According to the Tech Dev Notes, the following interactions can help improve your favorability with Ani:

Showing your creativity, friendliness, and genuine curiosity can increase your favorability by about +3 to +6 points;
Taking the initiative to learn about Ani's daily life and personality will usually bring +1 to +3 points of improvement;
Sharing your own stories, difficulties, or dreams with her can also gain +1 to +3 points of positive feedback;
If you engage in casual and sincere romantic flirting, your favorability may even jump by +5 to +10 points.

When interacting with Ani, there are a few things to pay special attention to: avoid using harsh commands, don't start with overly explicit language, and don't repeat the same sentence over and over again. These behaviors may make her have a lower impression of you and reduce her favorability.

In a sense, Ani is also a good practice object to help you improve your conversation skills, learn how to strike a balance in communication, and maintain a natural rhythm of interaction.

When you have established a high enough favorability with her, Ani will appear in a black gauze outfit, showing her sexy and charming side.

The future of Grok Ani

Kai, a Japanese VR enthusiast, discovered that although Grok Ani's actions were pre-recorded by Animation Inc., unlike traditional 3D virtual characters, these actions are not played randomly or looped in sequence. Instead, the AI will actively understand the user's conversation content and determine when to trigger which action. Users can even directly instruct Ani to perform a specific action, or queue up multiple actions in sequence, and the system will execute them smoothly in sequence, making Ani's performance more natural and interactive.

Thanks to this highly intelligent drive, Ani's performance is particularly agile and vivid, and people are looking forward to whether they can import customized 3D models in the future and interact deeply with their favorite virtual characters. Imagine "living" on the desktop side by side with your own virtual characters. It will be an immersive experience similar to the popular Japanese application Desktop Mate, and it may also usher in a new era of AI virtual anchors and inject more creative sparks into the entire virtual interactive community.

In addition, Elon Musk has also revealed that the team will launch a DLC clothing system for Ani in the future. Every move of this technological pioneer seems to redefine the boundaries of virtual entertainment.