Gemini’s new Personal Context remembers your chats—unless you switch it off
As Google weaves Gemini deeper into its products, the way the chatbot accesses and adapts to your information is changing again. The latest update gives Gemini a stronger memory for details from your conversations so it can tailor replies more precisely. If that makes you uneasy, there’s also a new way to chat without leaving a lasting mark on how Gemini responds in the future.
Earlier experiments with personalization briefly pulled signals from your Google activity, but that approach didn’t stick. In its place, Google is rolling out Personal Context—an option that lets Gemini remember relevant details from past chats and use them automatically in new ones. You don’t have to restate the same preferences or constraints every time; the system quietly carries them forward to shape its answers.
Personal Context is designed to improve relevance, especially for things like recommendations and planning. It’s different from saved instructions, which are explicit, static guidelines you supply and can edit at any time. While a more “familiar” chatbot can feel helpful, it’s still important to keep a critical eye—AI systems that mirror your assumptions too closely can sometimes reinforce misconceptions.
Availability starts with the Gemini 2.5 Pro model. At launch, the personalization option won’t be offered in the European Union, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, and it’s limited to users who are 18 or older. Google says it plans to expand availability over time and add support for the lighter-weight Gemini 2.5 Flash model. You can toggle Personal Context on or off from Gemini’s main settings at any point.
For moments when you want to ask something sensitive or just keep a clean slate, Temporary Chats provide a privacy-forward alternative. Think of it as an “incognito-style” session for Gemini: conversations started in this mode won’t flow into Personal Context, even if that feature is enabled for your account.
Temporary Chats are beginning to roll out now and should reach all users over the coming weeks. In the Gemini app, you’ll find a dedicated button next to “New chat” to start one. Google will retain these conversations for up to 72 hours so you can return to them or continue the thread, but they’re treated as one-off sessions and won’t shape Gemini’s ongoing understanding of you.
Alongside these controls, Google is also updating how it uses content you share with Gemini. Beginning September 2, a sample of chats and uploaded files may be used to improve its AI systems—framed as contributing to better services for everyone. That’s a notable shift if you prefer to keep your interactions out of training pipelines.
If you’d rather not have your data used this way, you can opt out. In the coming weeks, an account-level setting currently known as “Gemini Apps Activity” will be renamed to “Keep Activity.” You can turn this setting off (or stick to Temporary Chats) to prevent your content from being used in model development. For details or to adjust the control, visit Google’s help page: https://support.google.com/gemini?p=pause_activity.
Bottom line: Gemini is getting better at remembering what matters to you, but those gains come with new decisions about privacy. Review Personal Context in settings, try Temporary Chats when you want extra privacy, and check the “Keep Activity” toggle before September if you don’t want your conversations or uploads contributing to broader AI training.
