During the day, there is always something to do. Then the dishes are done, the messages have stopped, and the thought you set aside at lunch returns: the conversation with your manager, the bill you have not opened, the friend who has not called back.
Iris, also known as IrisChat, is an iMessage thought partner adults can text at moments like this. Available 24/7, it offers a place to describe what is on your mind and think it through, at the hour when other people may already be asleep.
Why Availability Is Part of the Design
Many concerns do not come up at convenient times. A person may not want to wake a partner or send a long message to a friend at eleven at night. By morning, the thought may feel too small to mention, even though it kept them awake.
Iris was created to make reflection accessible when it is needed. It works inside iMessage, so there is no separate app to download and no routine to set up. Users can start with an unfinished thought, such as, “I can’t stop thinking about what I said at dinner.”
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From a Loop to a Specific Question
Iris is designed to listen without judgment and respond with questions and reflections. A conversation might look at what exactly is bothering the person, what they know for certain, and what can only be answered tomorrow.
Sometimes that leads to a small next step: writing down what to say in the morning, deciding to ask a clarifying question, or recognizing that the concern can wait. Iris offers gentle suggestions, and the user decides which ones are useful.
This describes how the product is intended to be used. It is not a sleep aid, and Iris does not promise to stop repetitive thoughts or improve sleep.
The Research Behind Putting Thoughts Into Words
In a 2011 laboratory study published in Emotion, participants reported less distress when they labeled their emotional responses to negative images than when they only looked at them. The study did not evaluate Iris or nighttime worry.
It does provide background for a simple idea in the product’s design: giving a feeling a name can change the experience of it. In Iris, that idea takes the form of a conversation the user can open from the phone already in their hand.
Context That Carries Into the Morning
Iris is designed to remember details from earlier exchanges. Someone who talked through a worry at night can return the next day, after the conversation with their manager or the call with their friend, and continue from there.
Iris was built by a team that includes clinicians, therapists, scientists, and mental health professionals. Its intended uses include relationships, overthinking, everyday stress, grief, and life changes.
It is a non-clinical thought partner for adults aged 18 and older. Iris does not diagnose or treat sleep problems or any other condition, and it is not an emergency service. Its responses come from AI and can be mistaken.
More information about Iris is available at chatwithiris.com.
