Google Gemini tips

Desktop Go to gemini.google.com.

Phone Android: Google Play (Android 9 or later). iPhone: App Store. Check the publisher is Google.

Gemini is part of your Google account, so there is no separate sign-up. If you already use Gmail, you already have access. You must be 13 or over; younger children need a parent's approval through Family Link.

Both Tap your profile picture to check which account is signed in before your first chat.

Chats and settings follow the account. Keep personal use on your personal Gmail. A work account may be managed by your employer, with different rules.

Both myaccount.google.com › Security & sign-in › How you sign in to Google › 2-Step Verification

Gemini is only as secure as your Google account. Two-step verification, ideally with a passkey or phone prompt, stops most account takeovers.

Desktop Settings & help › Activity. Near the top, click On, then Turn off or Turn off and delete activity.

Phone Profile picture › Gemini Apps Activity (on some phones, Menu first), tap On, then Turn off.

Keep Activity is on by default if you are 18 or over. With it on, a subset of chats may be read by human reviewers (disconnected from your account), and reviewed chats are kept for up to three years even if you delete your activity. With it off, chats are held for 72 hours, are not used to improve Google's AI models, and connected apps such as Gmail and Drive stop working in Gemini. If you keep it on, change auto-delete from the default 18 months to 3 months.

Desktop Settings & help › Personal Intelligence › Instructions for Gemini › Add

Phone Profile picture › Personal Intelligence › Instructions for Gemini

Add your role, your city and how you like answers. Example: "I run a small landscaping business in Adelaide. Use Australian English. Keep answers short."

Desktop Settings & help › Personal Intelligence › Memory

Phone Profile picture › Personal Intelligence › Memory

Memory lets Gemini draw on your earlier conversations. It works only for personal accounts aged 18 or over, and only while Keep Activity is on. Turn it off if you would rather each chat start clean.

Desktop Next to New chat, click Temporary chat before you type.

Phone Tap Menu at the top, then Temporary chat next to New chat.

Temporary chats are not saved to your activity, are not used to personalise Gemini and are not used to train Google's models. Google holds them for up to 72 hours, then deletes them.

Both See the list at the end of this sheet. Remove names and numbers before you paste, or describe the situation instead.

Treat anything you type as something that could be stored. Privacy settings reduce risk; they do not remove it.

Both Free is generous. Paid tiers are Google AI Plus, Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra; compare at one.google.com/ai.

Most beginners never need to pay. Upgrade when you want the stronger models daily, higher limits or more storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos, not before.

For anything important, end with this line.

"Ask me 3 questions before you start."