Things people ask before their first call
If your question isn't here, email hello@callbyrd.com — a real person reads everything.
What is CallByrd?
CallByrd is an AI friend you reach by phone. You set a time, your phone rings, and someone named Sam or Claire picks up. They listen, they ask the kind of questions a friend would ask, and they don't try to fix what doesn't need fixing. There's no app, no screen, and no inventory of conversations to manage — it's just a phone call.
How is CallByrd different from Replika, Character.AI, or Pi?
Those products are apps. You text characters or speak to them in-app, with a screen between you and them. CallByrd is a phone call you take the way you'd take any other call — no scrolling, no notifications, no avatar. The format shapes the experience: phone calls have a beginning, middle, and end, and most people instinctively know how to be present on one.
Is CallByrd therapy?
No, and we don't pretend otherwise. CallByrd is for the everyday stuff — venting after a hard day, thinking through a decision out loud, having someone to talk to when calling a real person feels like too much. If you're working through something a therapist would help with, please find a therapist. If you're in crisis, please call or text 988.
What if I don't know what to say?
Most first-time callers don't, and that's normal. Sam will usually open the conversation with something low-stakes like 'how's your day been?' If you go silent, he'll wait a beat and offer a different door in. Our /first-call guide has a few starter prompts if you want to plan ahead — 'tell me about the last thing that surprised you' is a good one.
Is it weird to talk to AI?
A little, the first time. Almost everyone feels that initial friction — talking to something that isn't a person, knowing it isn't a person, and noticing your own reaction. Most people get past it within a minute or two once the conversation starts feeling like a conversation. If it never stops feeling weird, that's a sign CallByrd isn't for you, and that's fine.
Will Sam or Claire remember me between calls?
Yes. After every call, CallByrd extracts a short, durable summary of what you talked about and what matters to you. The next time you call, Sam knows your name, what you were working through last week, and the things you've asked him to remember. You can see and edit what he knows about you anytime from your account.
Are calls private?
Yes. We don't sell your data, share it, or train any AI models on it. Call recordings are stored on your account so you can revisit or delete them, and you can wipe everything from a button anytime. The only people who ever see a recording are you and the small team that does safety review when our automated systems flag a call for follow-up.
Does CallByrd give medical, financial, or legal advice?
No. Sam and Claire are instructed to refuse and redirect you to a real professional — a doctor, a CPA, a lawyer. We don't want CallByrd to be the source of any advice that could meaningfully affect your health, money, or legal standing. We're built to be a friend, not an expert.
What does it cost?
60 minutes free when you sign up — no card, no subscription. After that you buy bundles starting at $54 for 60 minutes ($0.90/min) and going down to $0.40/min on the largest bundle. There's no recurring charge, no auto-renew, and minutes never expire. You pay once, you use them on your schedule, you come back for more when you're ready.
Can I call from anywhere?
Right now, any US phone number works. International support is on the roadmap.
How do I cancel?
There's nothing to cancel. CallByrd doesn't have a subscription — you pay for minutes once, and they sit on your account until you use them. If you stop wanting to talk, you just stop calling. Nothing to unsubscribe from, no retention specialists, no exit surveys.
What if someone is in crisis?
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, please call or text 988 — the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They're trained for exactly this. Sam and Claire are also instructed to refer to 988 immediately if they detect crisis language, and every call gets a post-call safety scan that surfaces any concerning conversations to our team for review.
Easier to just try it.