- Google has added memory ability to the free version of Gemini in a browser
- It can now remember anything about you that you tell it to
- Mobile app version will hopefully roll out soon
Google has added the ability to remember personal information to the free version of Gemini, just a few weeks after launching the feature for Gemini Advanced subscribers.
The ability to recall information is one of the most useful features of an AI Chatbot, and makes it feel much more personal. That ability has been available in Gemini rival ChatGPT for about a year now, so Google are late to the game, but making the ‘saved info’ feature available to all Gemini users so quickly is a really great move.
Talking to a friend
‘Saved info’ means you don’t keep having to tell Gemini the names of your children or what job you have, which makes the conversations with it feel much more natural. For example, I’m currently working on writing a book, and once I’ve asked Gemini to remember this, and a few things about it, I can simply refer to it as “my book” in future conversations and it knows what the subject is and what level it’s aimed at, meaning our conversations about it feel much more natural. It really is like talking to a friend.
If you’ve been using Gemini for a while now with the app on your phone or through a web browser then you’ll know that it’s a powerful chatbot, on a par with ChatGPT, and you can also voice chat with us using Gemini Live, which comes with 10 different voices, just like you’re having a conversation with a human.
Gemini Live requires a Gemini Advanced subscription on an iPhone, but Android users get it free.
Free vs Advanced
With a Gemini Advanced subscription Gemini’s ability to remember things works in both the standard chatbot interface and in Gemini Live. To get Gemini to remember something just say, or type, “Remember that” or “keep in mind”, followed by what you want me to remember. On a free account you’ll now notice that ‘Saved info’ has been added to the web interface so you can now use it in the same way Gemini Advanced subscribers can, however we haven’t been able to access it in the mobile app yet for free users. Hopefully it will roll out in the next few days.
Gemini doesn’t have to remember what you’ve told it to remember forever, either. To delete something you’ve saved just write or say, for example, “Forget everything I told you about my sci fi novel”. You can also manage what Gemini has saved for you on the ‘saved info’ page accessible from tapping on your profile image.
You might be wondering if it’s still worth being a Gemini Advanced (via Google One AI Premium) subscriber, which costs $19.99 / £18.99 / AU$32.99 a month, since a lot of the benefits have now transferred over to the free Gemini, including use of the latest Gemini 2.0 Flash LLM. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the premium service gives you access to a number of other new LLMs like 2.0 Experimental. You also get 2TB of storage and access to NotebookLM Plus.
