The short answer
Maya is an AI companion inside Soulnests that you can chat with, call by voice, or video call with your camera on. On a call she answers in real time as a little forest companion you pick, and while you share your camera she can see and talk about what you show her. Soulnests does not save the raw call audio or camera images, you choose what Maya may remember, and she is company for reflection, not therapy.
Why people look for an AI companion they can call
Typing is not always how a thought wants to come out. Some days you want to say it out loud, or simply point at the thing.
Some thoughts come out easier spoken
On a walk, at the sink, in the car once you have parked. Talking lets the messy version out before you tidy it into sentences.
Sometimes it is easier to show than to describe
The half-empty fridge you are trying to turn into dinner, the drawing you are stuck on, tomorrow's outfit. Turn the camera on and ask.
Memory, but on your terms
A companion that forgets everything feels like a stranger; one that keeps everything can feel like a lot. With Maya you choose the sources she may use, or none at all.
It belongs next to the rest of your life
Maya lives in the same app as your journal, meditations and habits, so what you talk about can connect with what you already keep there, when you allow it.
A typical AI chat app and Maya, side by side
Every app is different. This compares Maya with the plain chat-window kind of AI app, not with any one product.
| What you need | A typical AI chat app | Soulnests |
|---|---|---|
| How you talk | Typing, sometimes voice | Chat, real-time voice calls, and video calls with your camera |
| Showing, not telling | Upload a photo and wait | Share your live camera during a call; Maya responds to what she sees, and can add an occasional comment you can turn off |
| Who answers | A chat window | Maya as a forest companion you pick: bunny, cat, pup, fox, bear cub, hedgehog or owlet |
| Memory | Often all or nothing | Personalized from sources you pick, this conversation only, or no saved context |
| What is kept | Varies by app | Finalized transcripts in your Maya history; Soulnests does not save raw call audio or camera images |
| Around it | Just the chat | A journal, meditations, habits, workouts and the Nest, a private room for your people, in the same app |
| Hard moments | Varies by app | Not therapy or crisis care; when a conversation suggests someone may be in danger, Maya points to a crisis line |
Fair to say: if you want open-ended role-play or a character to chat with for hours, apps built for that will suit you better. Maya is made for reflection and everyday company inside a wellbeing app.
Say it out loud, and hear her answer
Start a call from Maya and talk the way you would to a friend on the phone. She answers in real time, hands free. When the call ends, what was said is saved to your Maya history as a transcript, so you can read it back later or pick the thread up in chat.
- Real-time voice, hands free
- Transcripts in your Maya history; raw audio is not kept
- Calls show how much of your call time is left
Turn on your camera and show her
During a call, share your camera. Maya can see what you show her and talk about it with you: a recipe half made, a messy desk, a sky you wanted someone else to see. If you like, she can make an occasional comment when the conversation goes quiet, and you can switch that off whenever you want.
- A small preview, a window or the full screen, and a flip button for the other camera
- Comments on or off with one tap
- Sharing stops when you stop it, leave the call, or put the app in the background
Pick who answers
On a call, Maya appears as a little forest friend you choose: a bunny, cat, pup, fox, bear cub, hedgehog or owlet. You can tune a companion's voice and aura, or make a new one with its own name and personality. Whichever you call, one memory follows you between chat and every companion.
- Seven painted forest companions
- Choose a voice and an aura
- The same memory settings in chat and on calls
She remembers what you allow
Choose how much Maya may use: personalized from the sources you pick (your profile, journal, past conversations, quiz results, habits and workouts), this conversation only, or no saved context at all. Changes apply straight away, and changing memory during a call ends that call so the old context is gone.
- Pick sources one by one, or none
- Live audio and shared camera images are processed by Google Gemini for the call
- Soulnests does not save the raw audio or camera images
Questions people ask
Can I video call an AI companion in Soulnests?
Yes. Start a voice call with Maya, then turn on your camera. While you share, Maya can see what you show her and talk about it with you. Stop sharing at any time and the call carries on by voice.
Does Soulnests record my calls or my camera?
Soulnests saves finalized transcripts of what was said to your Maya history, plus limited diagnostics that contain no content. It does not save the raw call audio or camera images. During a call, your live audio, any camera images you share and the context you enabled are processed by Google Gemini in real time.
What does Maya remember about me?
You decide. Maya can use context from sources you pick (profile, journal, past conversations, quiz results, habits and workouts), only the current conversation thread, or nothing saved at all. The same setting covers chat and calls, and you can change it whenever you like.
Is Maya a real person?
No. Maya is an AI. She can be warm, useful company for thinking out loud, but she can get things wrong, and she is not a person, a therapist or a crisis service.
Can Maya look things up?
When a question needs current public information, Maya may use Google Search from the public topic and place you say in that turn. Her searches never include your saved Soulnests context, and the search attribution shows live during the call.
Is it free?
Soulnests is free to start, with no credit card to begin, and free accounts can try a short call. Soulnests Plus includes a monthly allowance of call time; its current price and terms are shown before checkout, and every call shows how much time is left.
Where can I talk to Maya?
In the Soulnests app on iPhone and iPad, and on the web in a modern browser. Calls need microphone access, and video calls need camera access, which you can allow or decline.
Is Soulnests therapy?
No. Soulnests is a self-reflection and wellbeing app. It does not diagnose or treat anything and is not crisis care. If you're struggling, please reach out to a professional; in the US you can call or text 988, and elsewhere contact local emergency services.
Say hello on your next walk
Start with a short call. Tell Maya one true thing about your day, or turn the camera toward something you would like a second opinion on.
Start free