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Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
For the better part of two years now, I\u2019ve turned to my free ChatGPT account<\/a> instead of my paid Gemini account for one reason: temporary chats. I don\u2019t want some of my chats with an AI to be saved forever, used to train the model, or associated with my profile, so temporary chats were my go-to solution in all those cases.<\/p>\n Gemini didn\u2019t have an equivalent to this, and despite having the paid subscription, I had to go to ChatGPT for that. We\u2019ve known for a while, though, that incognito or temporary chats were coming to Gemini<\/a>, and they\u2019re finally here. They\u2019re perfect for my needs, so I have started using them nearly daily. Here\u2019s how they work and where and when I\u2019m using them.<\/p>\n Are you using ChatGPT’s or Gemini’s temporary chat feature?<\/p>\n 22 votes<\/p>\n Yes, all the time.<\/p>\n 14%<\/p>\n From time to time, yes.<\/p>\n 14%<\/p>\n I didn’t know I could do this.<\/p>\n 55%<\/p>\n No, I have no need for temporary chats.<\/p>\n 18%<\/p>\n Temporary chats in Gemini are better for privacy<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are a black hole of personal data. You chat with them, and they gather details about what you\u2019re interested in, where you live, the problems you\u2019re facing, your food and travel preferences, etc. Everything is used to train the model further. Everything is also associated with your account and history, which is nice when I want Gemini to remember that it should never recommend recipes with green beans, but questionable when I ask it to explain the context behind a viral tweet about a politician I don\u2019t necessarily agree with.<\/p>\n Temporary chats don’t get saved into my chats or associated with my account. Google doesn’t retain the data either.<\/p>\n With temporary chats, this isn\u2019t an issue. They don\u2019t get saved in my recent chats or my Gemini Apps Activity, and aren\u2019t used to train Google\u2019s models or personalize my experience. They don\u2019t have access to my personal data and can\u2019t use previous discussions to personalize their responses. This makes them akin to an incognito Gemini window. However, Google saves the chat in that open window for 72 hours just so I can go back to it if I need to talk more. After that, it\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n Yes, I could open Gemini in an incognito Chrome window without signing in for the same purpose, but I rarely do that because it drops me down to the basic Flash model. No Pro model, no image or video tools, and none of my paid Gemini features, either. Temporary chats keep all those perks so that I can use them without any limitations.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s when I\u2019m using incognito Gemini chats<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n I recently had an ant infestation from the outside alley coming straight onto the kitchen countertop near the front door. None of the solutions suggested by the local hardware store employee worked. I needed better advice around ant repellent composition and efficiency, so I had to ask Gemini to synthesize this info for me, look for local products available in France, and keep the chat active for a couple of days tops while figuring out the right approach.<\/p>\n But this isn\u2019t the kind of data I want Gemini to remember about me forever or to use for its training models. It\u2019s not something I plan to come back to, ever. And it feels too personal to associate with the rest of my Gemini data. So I opened the app, clicked on the dotted Temporary Chat icon next to the New Chat button, and started my research. I learned that the imidacloprid-based gel found in a nearby store was perfect for this, and poof, the ants were gone!<\/p>\n Then, a few days ago, as I was reaching for a medicine my doctor prescribed for specific pain flare-ups that I only take once or twice a year, at most, I forgot when I was supposed to ingest it. Morning? Evening? Before or after food? A Google search wasn\u2019t helpful, so I turned to a Gemini temporary chat and asked for general advice on it. Morning, after food. Perfect. And Gemini doesn\u2019t get to retain my medical information.<\/p>\n These are two very real examples of when temporary chats are the most beneficial. But they also help me every day when I need to ask about:<\/p>\n A new slang that Gen Z\u2019ers and Gen Alpha are using online. Any time I have a quick question I don’t want to come back to or that Gemini shouldn’t remember, I turn to the temporary chat.<\/p>\n The common thread here is that it\u2019s mostly information I don\u2019t ever want to come back to, but also details I\u2019m not interested in associating with my personal Gemini data \u2014 or would rather stay private. Plus, if I decide I want to keep some of the info, I can copy the entire answer or specific parts of it into a private document to consult many times over.<\/p>\n One cool benefit to all of this is that it\u2019s helped me keep my saved chats in Gemini under control. I no longer see random short-term chats littering my history that I\u2019d never consult again. Most of my recently saved chats are longer, more involved discussions that I need to consult again or continue using. The rest are gone forever in temporary land.<\/p>\n You should use temporary chats for photo editing and personal docs<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t mind using the regular Gemini chat for any of the above situations, you should at least make it your go-to instinct when\/if you decide to try more personal features like the new photo editing capabilities<\/a> or check personal documents. You don\u2019t want your personal photos or files, which probably contain GPS locations and personal details, to train the model. There\u2019s no clear rule around when and where Google can use these \u2014 unlike anything you upload to Google Photos or Drive \u2014 so I\u2019d go the temporary chat route.<\/p>\n![\"pixel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/pixel-phone-showing-gemini-temporary-incognito-chat-notice.jpg\"\/ "\\"pixel")
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\nHot celebrity topics I\u2019m mildly curious about.
\nAny hot meme or topic I don\u2019t have context for \u2014 just share the screenshot with Gemini and let it decipher.
\nThe new GeForce RTX 50 Super series that my Android Authority colleagues are discussing, and that I have no idea about as a non-gamer.
\nThe story behind Luka Doncic\u2019s trade, or did Schumacher ever wake up, and why is Santi Cazorla so revered in Spanish football, and by the way, what\u2019s his story with Real Oviedo?
\nSome delicate paperwork for family VISAs in France \u2014 of course, this is going in a private chat.
\nA word or expression in English that\u2019s on the tip of my tongue.
\nWriting a quick listing for a pair of old earbuds I\u2019m no longer using.
\nThe difference between the Hailo K20 and K30 step ladders when I can\u2019t find the exact details with a quick search, etc.<\/p>\n![\"pixel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/pixel-phone-showing-gemini-temporary-incognito-chat-image-editing.jpg\"\/ "\\"pixel")
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