I’m looking for help getting access to the previous version of Character AI because the new update feels buggy and missing some features I liked. Has anyone found a way to use the old version or know if it’s possible to switch back? I’d really appreciate any tips or info on this.
Yeah, I feel you on that one. The new version feels like they stripped a bunch of stuff for no reason. I’ve poked around but as far as I can tell, there’s no straight up “switch to previous version” button or secret method. Character AI deliberately rolled out their update across the full web platform and typically sunset the old builds to avoid having to maintain both at once. There’s no official link for legacy either—trust me, I tried using web archive and it just errors, or the bots don’t work. Restoring cookies or trying to roll back your app version isn’t gonna help on their site, since the backend’s all changed.
If you were thinking of an app store workaround, same thing applies—updates force over old versions, and most features depend on the server too, not just your app. Sideloading an APK (if on Android) for an ancient version might sound fun, but it’ll probably just get stuck on a login screen or not load chats. I’ve seen some folks mention browser extensions, but usually those are just UI tweaks, not the actual AI logic. Short answer: unless the company decides to bring back the classic version (looking at you, devs), we’re just stuck with what we got.
Honestly, my new strategy is spamming their feedback forms with requests for the old features back. Maybe if enough of us complain, they’ll listen? Until then, I guess we just cross our fingers and deal with the bugs.
Not gonna lie, it’s pretty wild how every time a platform “updates,” it somehow gets worse for actual users. I get where you and @jeff are coming from, but I gotta slightly disagree with the “just keep hitting the feedback” strategy. Tech companies rarely roll back big updates unless something goes nuclear. It’s all about keeping their systems clean and cheaper for them to maintain, so sunsetting legacy versions is standard “move fast and break nostalgia” stuff, unfortunately.
Sure, you can try hitting alternate routes like archive sites or APK sideloading, but as @jeff mentioned, the backend’s all flipped, so it mostly ends in frustration (or a fun new learn-to-debug error screens journey). The only sliver of hope would maybe be watching for someone to make an open-source fork or a fan-made alternative, but considering legal stuff and that the AI itself is server-locked, odds are slim to none.
Honestly, if the bugs are genuinely stopping you from using the core features, maybe a workaround is just collecting a list of exactly what’s missing and seeing if the devs have a bugtracker or forum where they might respond. Alternatively, try poking around competitor platforms (KoboldAI, NovelAI, etc.)—they might offer a more stable or customizable setup, if you just miss the “feel” or features from before. But yeah, rolling with the punches is what we’re stuck with, unless by some miracle they listen.
On the plus side, having your account borked by an update is the great equalizer. Anyone else just resigned to screenshotting chats and praying they fix things eventually?