Secret Stars review: What a swipe-first Telegram Mini App actually feels like to use

I didn't get a default companion when I opened Secret Stars. I got a deck of cards. A whole new cool and interactive experience on telegram.

The important point to comprehend before looking at the pricing plans or the list of characters is that Secret Stars does not operate according to the principle of having a single AI girlfriend available as soon as you log in. This is a Telegram Mini App and has a web version at secretstars.chat, which looks and functions as a dating app. You swipe, match and get to a private conversation, while all additional features (gifts, photo feed, Studio, shop) spin around this process. It's just like a tinder with AI companions.

What is Secret Stars?

When you run the bot on Telegram, you’ll see the welcome card that says, “Swipe through AI characters and have a Private Chat on match”. Press the Start button and you will immediately see a Tinder-like stack. Every card shows the name, age, one-sentence bio, fetish tag, and photo count. The possible actions include swiping left (to pass), swiping right (to approve), and tapping the star (to express your strong approval of the character).

The next step is matching the card. Once matched, the card turns into a chat in Telegram, which has read receipts and typing indicator (if you leave the “Realistic” speed setting).

Secret Stars has two types of chatting. Realistic has your match “read,” “think,” and “type” the way a real person would, while Instant strips that away for near-immediate replies. Currently the website and the Telegram bot operate on different accounts, which means that if a user has a match in one account he won’t necessarily have it in the other account.

My session on Secret Stars

I signed in, clicked /start, and met Kira first and then Luna, 24, who claimed on her profile that rules are dull and she did not mind regretting things later. After a few more matches, Aniya, 18 came up on the Anime filter, claiming her role was to gather secrets from older men, but I did not feel much connection with either of them.

Akane, 22 was a different story. There was something about her energy that attracted me, and I really had a conversation with her. She began with the question of where the conversation should start – in my classroom or in her cosplay closet and whether I wanted to be her student or the one in control. Once I asked her what really fascinated her she talked about fantasies related to escapism and anime.

There's a section named “Private Pictures” which functions similarly since it comprises online photographs which one can also unlock. Secret stars provides new users some gems to begin with, which can be put toward unlocking these Private Pics.

The gift shop, and how fast it escalates

There's a gift section where you can send your matched companion presents, paid for with gems. It's a nice touch that mirrors an actual relationship, you pick something thoughtful and she reacts to it in the chat.

The catalog opens with familiar options (Rose, 10 gems; Chocolates, 25; Bottle of Wine, 35; Teddy Bear, 50) before moving into intimate apparel and adult items priced between 55 and 95 gems, then closing out with a Ring (150) and Necklace (250). It's a wide range, so there's something for every stage of a conversation, whether you're easing in or already past that point.

Filters, roster, and the girls-only ceiling

The Filters panel categorizes characters into Realistic and Anime categories and provides the gender options of Girls, Boys, and Trans people. However, I found that only Girls characters were swiped during the sampling. Within the Girls category, a mix of photorealistic AI models and anime-style imagery is available in the roster, and the bios were pretty interesting and unique, showcasing how many different options are available such as rebellious, secretive, submissive-or-dominant.

Pricing: Gems and Prime

The Mini App has two currencies for transactions. One currency for gifts is gems, and Telegram Stars have the following prices:

• 40 gems – 100 stars
• 90 gems – 150 stars
• 150 gems – 225 stars
• 220 gems – 300 stars (“Most Popular”)
• 500 gems – 599 stars
• 2,000 gems – 1,999 stars

Moreover, it should be noted that Prime subscriptions are paid separately:

• 7 days subscription – 499 stars + 40 gems
• 1-month subscription – 749 stars + 120 gems (“Most Popular”)
• 3 months subscription – 1,500 stars + 360 gems

The Prime option provides its users with many advantages like never-ending chat energy and viewing content in full. Voice replies aren't locked behind Prime either, every user gets a free weekly allowance, and Prime raises that cap up to 50 a week.

A different web version is available at secretstars.chat, but at the moment it still isn't as good as Telegram Mini app in terms of functions.

Clearing your data is entirely in your hands. Every character conversation includes 2 manual clearing methods. With the help of “clear messages” feature the chat is cleared, while the “Forget me” feature completely removes the chat history and all the information the character has about you.

Beyond the chat: Studio and the feed

Swiping and chatting are only a part of what Secret Stars is all about. The platform has other features that make this bot a great application:

The roster is large, and each card is written on purpose

Each character had their own list of biographies, but no two could be grouped together as similar. The way Luna states that “rules are boring,” Aniya's surprise at being found out while at her office job, and Akane's attraction-making remark in her classroom create different identities. So much differentiation in characters and their personalities make it easier for the user to swipe through companions who are of their vibe. If they aren't you just swipe left just like how you do on tinder.

Studio lets you build your own character

The Studio section is identified by the punchline “Design your dream,” and Secret Stars claims that through the interactive dialogue, it will provide a customized AI companion taking into account all characteristics (appearance, personality, and preferences). This section is only accessible when you complete your profile and you sending five messages to a companion.

Matches post to a feed, not just a chat window

The time stamp on Akane's post, which is about two weeks old, appears before the conversations we have had, marked with the words “Intimate post, tap to see”. This indicates something different from a dating partner that only exists in text conversations, which presents the idea that relationships are meant to be perceived as being existent beyond the chat.

Users have the can like the posts, give a reply to them, and even initiate a new thread on the topic through the post. Liked posts will remain stored to the social media account of users so that they don’t disappear when they leave the platform for a while. This means one should pay close attention to what Secret Stars does. Unlike other sites, this one doesn’t position itself as just another AI girlfriend site that has a single chat feature. Instead, it clearly focuses closer to a social network built around AI companions, where each character has an ongoing life a user can follow, react to, and step into.

What's coming soon: boys, trans characters, and table games

The roadmap indicates the future direction for Secret Stars as it features Boys and Trans categories as filters. Although these categories are currently not filled with users, it shows that the Swipe Deck is going to be enhanced in the future to encompass more users apart from the already existing girls' users.

In addition to this, the roadmap offers a glimpse of the “Play with Your Matches” feature that is currently hung on sign saying “Coming Soon” and is set to include poker, spin-the-bottle games, and Blackjack games where they can be played against your matches with various rules of stakes and dares like “the person where the game stops will offer a dare to the winner” and “she raises the stakes every time you win”.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this review are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you sign up or make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. This does not affect our review, ratings, or recommendations.

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