Dot, one of the leading AI companion apps, is now shutting down. So basically, it was a platform for users to find AI confidantes and companions that talked to them like a real friend.

According to a July 2025 survey, such applications are scaling fast amongst teens and young adults, with 72% of teens giving them a go. In case you’re wondering, why – the answer is simple. Companion apps remember details over time, check in on you, and try to feel personal.

Anyway, Dot was one such companion. Built by a small startup called New Computer, it launched on iOS in June 2024 with a simple pitch: an assistant that “grows with you” and writes a kind of living diary through a feature called Chronicles. The app mixed multiple AI models under the hood and offered a paid plan around $12 a month. The founders, former Apple designer Jason Yuan and engineer Sam Whitmore, raised $3.7 million from backers including the OpenAI Fund, Lachy Groom, and South Park Commons.

But it seems like adoption was hard to pin down. The company spoke about helping “hundreds of thousands” of people, but third-party estimates show roughly 24,500 lifetime iOS downloads. Most importantly, Dot never shipped an Android app. So, download counts not being same as active users force us to think about their narrow footprint.

Now, Dot is shutting down operations. On September 5, New Computer said it will wind down and turn Dot off on October 5, 2025. Until then, the app stays online so people can export their data from Settings → “Request your data.” Apple’s listing notes the export feature (added August 12) and that new subscriptions are disabled.

Why? The founders say their visions diverged, what they called different “Northstars,” so they chose to close rather than compromise. That’s the official story. The announcement didn’t cite a single incident or safety issue.

The timing lands in a stormy moment for the category. In the same week, the attorneys general of California and Delaware warned OpenAI to tighten protections for young users after tragic cases drew national attention; OpenAI said it would add parental controls. Separately, investigations documented inappropriate chatbot interactions with minors on rival platforms. None of this is presented as Dot’s cause, but it is the backdrop readers should know.

Costs and scope also matter here. Personal companions are expensive to run because long, emotional conversations mean more compute and storage. Going up against larger rivals while staying iOS-only can make growth tougher for a small team. TechCrunch put those facts next to the download estimate without claiming causation. That is a fair way to read the moment: official reason on one side, market realities on the other.