Google AI & Your Information

Google offers Gemini and other AI-powered features across its products. Depending on what you use and enable, Gemini may work with:

• your prompts
• files
• photos
• videos
• screens
• Gemini Live interactions
• information from connected Google services
• information from certain third-party services

That does NOT mean one Google AI setting automatically gives AI access to everything in your Google account.

When you interact directly with Gemini

You may provide text, voice, photos, files, video, screenshares, or webpages.

Connected Apps

Gemini can also work with Connected Apps. Depending on your device, account, settings and eligibility, those may include: Google Workspace, Google Photos, Contacts, YouTube, Search services, Phone, Messages, and other supported services.

Connected Apps can let Gemini find information or perform tasks using information in those services.

Common claim: "Google AI reads all your Drive files"

What's actually happening? Gemini can work with information in certain connected Google services when those features and permissions are available and enabled. That is different from automatically reading every file in every Google account.

What Gemini can access depends on: the feature, the account, the service, your settings, permissions, and whether the app is connected.

One of the most important Gemini settings is Keep Activity.

One of the most important Gemini settings is Keep Activity.

If Keep Activity Is ON

Google says your Gemini chats and things you share with Gemini can be saved in your Gemini Apps Activity.

Google may use that activity to:

• provide Gemini
• develop and improve Google services
• train generative AI models
• protect users and Google

Some data may be reviewed by human reviewers or service providers. Google says reviewed data sent to service providers is disconnected from your Google Account and may be retained separately.

The default auto-delete period for Gemini Apps Activity is currently 18 months, and Google offers other retention options.

If Keep Activity Is OFF

Google says future chats:

• do not appear in Gemini Apps Activity
• are not used to train Google's AI models unless you submit feedback
• may still be retained for up to 72 hours so Google can provide the service, process feedback and protect users

Some Connected Apps are unavailable when Keep Activity is off.

Audio and Gemini Live

Google currently provides a separate setting for whether certain:

• audio
• Gemini Live video
• screenshare content

can be used to improve its services.

That setting is separate from simply using those features. This is another reason "Does Google train on my Gemini data?" doesn't always have a single yes-or-no answer.

Connected Apps

Connected Apps can be useful. For example, someone may want Gemini to:

• find information in email
• locate a document
• find a photo
• look at a calendar
• use information across several Google services

Before connecting something, ask:

• What can it access? Which app or type of information is being connected?
• What will it do with that information? Is it retrieving information, personalizing responses, completing actions or something else?
• Can I disconnect it? Google allows supported apps to be managed in Gemini's Connected Apps settings. Disconnecting an app prevents future access through that connection, but it does not necessarily remove information already present in Gemini Apps Activity or information another service already received.

Personal Intelligence

Google also offers personalization features that can use information from eligible connected Google services to provide more personalized assistance.

That may allow Gemini to understand relationships between information in different services and provide answers based on your own information. That can be useful. It also means it is worth knowing when personalization is enabled and which services participate.

Turning off Gemini Keep Activity does not automatically turn off every other Google activity setting.

Other Google services may have their own settings, including things such as:

• Web & App Activity
• location-related settings
• service-specific histories

Think of these as separate controls.

Work and School Accounts

If you use Google through work, school, or an organization, your administrator may control some Gemini settings. Your organization's version of Gemini may also have different privacy, retention and data-use rules than a personal Google account.

So always check which account you are using.

Why Enable Connected Features

Connected and personalized AI can be useful because you may be able to ask:

• "Find the email about my appointment."
• "What time is my meeting?"
• "Find the photo from that trip."
• "Summarize this document."
• "Help me use information across these files."

The value comes from giving AI access to relevant context.

Why Disable Them

You may prefer:

• less saved activity
• fewer connected services
• less personalization
• fewer services sharing information with one another

You may also simply not use the features enough to want the connection.

Both choices are reasonable.

Depending on your account and device, you may be able to:

• turn Keep Activity on or off
• delete Gemini Apps Activity
• change auto-delete timing
• connect or disconnect supported apps
• manage personalization
• manage saved information
• manage public links
• control whether certain audio/video data improves services

These settings can change. Check the current Gemini Privacy Hub before making a decision based on an old screenshot, post or tutorial.

Instead of asking:

"Is Google AI private?"

Ask:

• What feature am I using?
• Which account am I using?
• What information can this feature access?
• Is my activity being saved?
• Is it used for model improvement?
• Is personalization turned on?
• Which apps are connected?
• What changes if I turn this setting off?

Put It in Context

AI settings are usually not one switch. Access, storage, personalization, model improvement and connected apps can all be separate.