Justin Davis of Complex praised Brown's and Tyga's "uncanny chemistry" and wrote, "Chris provides the fun-loving and catchy chorus while Tyga handles the song lyrically...the two heartthrobs seemingly haven’t missed a step."[14] Adam Fleisher from MTV News noted, "the track is so catchy it's hard not to just run it back."[15] Ali Szubiak of PopCrush also found the hook "insanely catchy", but described the song's sexually-charged lyrics as "like Tinder in song form."[16] DJBooth's David Spadine and staff writers at Power 106 both noted the song's similarities to Brown's 2014 single "Loyal" with Spadine concluding, "On the set’s latest single, AYO, the twosome mine the same rich vein of pop appeal that they did on Loyal, another Nic Nac production."[10][11] Similarly, Elias Leight of Billboard wrote, "The song works around many of the same motifs as Chris Brown's "Loyal," a smash in 2014."[17] FDRMX reviewer CedricCed wrote, "Chris Brown achieves as usual, vocally giving off his cocky, showy persona, which benefits this track in a huge way. Tyga also manages to stand out on the record, bringing cohesive ingredients of a smash hit. Chris Brown performs an excellent vocal, but Tyga steals the show with a surprisingly substantial verse.