Incognito chats are finally live in Gemini. Here’s how I use them

For the better part of two years now, I’ve turned to my free ChatGPT account instead of my paid Gemini account for one reason: temporary chats. I don’t 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.

Gemini didn’t have an equivalent to this, and despite having the paid subscription, I had to go to ChatGPT for that. We’ve known for a while, though, that incognito or temporary chats were coming to Gemini, and they’re finally here. They’re perfect for my needs, so I have started using them nearly daily. Here’s how they work and where and when I’m using them.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini are a black hole of personal data. You chat with them, and they gather details about what you’re interested in, where you live, the problems you’re 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’t necessarily agree with.

With temporary chats, this isn’t an issue. They don’t get saved in my recent chats or my Gemini Apps Activity, and aren’t used to train Google’s models or personalize my experience. They don’t have access to my personal data and can’t 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’s gone.

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.

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.

But this isn’t the kind of data I want Gemini to remember about me forever or to use for its training models. It’s 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!

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’t helpful, so I turned to a Gemini temporary chat and asked for general advice on it. Morning, after food. Perfect. And Gemini doesn’t get to retain my medical information.

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:

• A new slang that Gen Z’ers and Gen Alpha are using online.
• Hot celebrity topics I’m mildly curious about.
• Any hot meme or topic I don’t have context for — just share the screenshot with Gemini and let it decipher.
• The new GeForce RTX 50 Super series that my Android Authority colleagues are discussing, and that I have no idea about as a non-gamer.
• The story behind Luka Doncic’s trade, or did Schumacher ever wake up, and why is Santi Cazorla so revered in Spanish football, and by the way, what’s his story with Real Oviedo?
• Some delicate paperwork for family VISAs in France — of course, this is going in a private chat.
• A word or expression in English that’s on the tip of my tongue.
• Writing a quick listing for a pair of old earbuds I’m no longer using.
• The difference between the Hailo K20 and K30 step ladders when I can’t find the exact details with a quick search, etc.

The common thread here is that it’s mostly information I don’t ever want to come back to, but also details I’m not interested in associating with my personal Gemini data — 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.

One cool benefit to all of this is that it’s helped me keep my saved chats in Gemini under control. I no longer see random short-term chats littering my history that I’d 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.

If you don’t 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 or check personal documents. You don’t want your personal photos or files, which probably contain GPS locations and personal details, to train the model. There’s no clear rule around when and where Google can use these — unlike anything you upload to Google Photos or Drive — so I’d go the temporary chat route.

Anything from removing fences and light glare to Ghibli’fying your dog, turning yourself into a robot, making a Deus EX character poster from your colleague’s cool portrait, and merging elements from multiple images works even in a temporary chat. You can also create videos with Veo here — just sayin’. Keep in mind, though, that this isn’t an excuse to abuse the system. Gemini’s rules around what it will do and the lines it won’t cross are still valid in temporary chats.

As for documents, temporary chats are a good compromise for checking contracts, insurances, and medical bills or lab tests with an AI agent, but while retaining some privacy. You’ll get more detailed and personalized answers than any Google search will give you, but you won’t be sharing your data with the ether. My two cents.

I hope these personal examples have given you an idea of when to resort to temporary incognito chats in Gemini and how to control the flow of data you give it.