Gemini Personal Intelligence lets Gemini use what's in your connected Google apps, including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Google Photos, your Search activity and your YouTube History, to personalise its answers. As of October 2026 it only works on personal Google Accounts for people aged 18 or over, and Google's help page says that, for now, it's not available in the European Economic Area, Nigeria, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
That second sentence is the part most people miss. If you run your business on a Google Workspace work account, you won't see it there at all, because work, school and supervised accounts are excluded. Here's what it reads, how to switch it on, how to turn it off for a single chat, and the two steps you need to wipe what Gemini has learned, all taken from Google's own help pages as of October 2026.
What Personal Intelligence does with your data
Google describes four jobs. Gemini can give you insights about you and your world, make recommendations based on your preferences, find and summarise information from your connected apps (Google's own example is "What did I search for last month?"), and pull content from Gmail and Google Photos straight into an answer.
The suggestions Google lists show where it's heading: a grocery list built from a cooking video you watched on YouTube, party invites designed in Nano Banana or Canvas for a party you've been discussing in Gmail, and a notebook to plan a business project. In other words, Gemini starts from what it already knows about your week rather than from a blank prompt.
The Google apps it can read, and what each one needs
Each app comes with its own switch, and if that switch is off, Gemini can't see the data. This is the full list from Google's help page as of October 2026.
| Connected app | What Gemini can use | What has to be on |
|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Gmail, Calendar and Drive | Smart features in other Google products |
| Search services | Search, Maps and saved Shopping data | Web & App Activity |
| YouTube History | Videos you've watched | YouTube History |
| Google Photos | Your photo library (certain countries only) | Face Groups with your face selected, plus Estimate missing locations |
| Google Wallet | Payment methods, receipts and financial accounts linked through services such as Plaid (US only) | Just connect the app |
| Contacts | The people in your contacts | Just connect the app |
The Wallet row is the one I'd think hardest about. Receipts and linked bank accounts are a very different level of access from a calendar, so I'd only connect it if you've got a clear reason to.
Who can use it and who can't
Google is releasing Personal Intelligence gradually, so it may not have reached your account yet even if you tick every box. To be eligible you need:
- to be 18 or over
- a personal Google Account, not a work, school or supervised one
- Keep Activity switched on
Google's help page then has an "Important: For now, this feature is" list. It says Personal Intelligence is not available in the European Economic Area, Nigeria, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. It only runs in the Gemini mobile app, the web app at gemini.google.com, Gemini in Chrome and Gemini on a smartwatch, and it isn't available in certain features such as Gems.
For business owners the work account exclusion matters most. Your team's Workspace logins won't get it. The same goes for tasks in Gemini, which can use Personal Intelligence alongside Connected Apps, skills, chats and sites you're signed into: assigning tasks needs a personal account, someone aged 18 or over, Google AI Pro or Ultra and Keep Activity on, and it isn't available with a work or school account.
How to switch it on
- Go to gemini.google.com.
- If you're eligible, a card appears inviting you to opt in.
- Click Get started.
- Choose Connect all, Choose apps, or Don't connect.
- Change your mind later in Connected Apps settings.
I'd pick Choose apps rather than Connect all. Start with the two or three apps you'd want Gemini to search for you, and add more once you've seen how it uses them.
How to turn it off for one chat
- In the text box, click Tools.
- Switch Personal Intelligence off.
- Gemini remembers that choice for that chat only; a new chat starts with it back on.
Three details catch people out. Anything said earlier in that chat still counts as context, so switch it off before you start, not halfway through. If one reply feels too personal, Try without personalization regenerates that answer without it. And turning it off doesn't stop the chat being saved to Gemini Apps Activity. If you don't want the chat kept, use a temporary chat instead.
Memory of past chats sits alongside it
Separately from your apps, Gemini can remember past chats. That needs the same three basics (18 or over, a personal account, Keep Activity on), and you switch it on or off under Settings & help, then Personal Intelligence, then Memory. It doesn't work in Gems or Live chats, although in a text chat you can ask Gemini to refer back to a past Live conversation. If you want to know whether an answer drew on old chats, ask it: "Did you use any info from past chats?"
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Saved memories, where you tell Gemini specific facts to remember, are a different feature again. As of October 2026 they need a Google AI plan and a personal account with Memory on, and they're only available in the US. I've covered how those work in my guide to Gemini saved info.
How to delete what Gemini learned
This is the bit Google is very clear on. To remove something Gemini picked up from a connected app, you have to do both of these:
- Delete every chat that contains it, from Gemini Apps Activity or Recent chats.
- Disconnect the app it came from.
Skip either step and Gemini may still use that information, from the old chat or from the app itself. Changes you make inside a connected app, such as deleting an email, can take days to show up in Gemini. And telling Gemini to forget a topic doesn't always work, so deleting the chats is the route to rely on.
Is it worth switching on?
I'd switch it on if you live your life in a personal Google account, you're outside the excluded countries, and you'd like Gemini to find things in your inbox, calendar and Drive without you copying and pasting. I'd skip the Wallet connection unless you've got a specific job for it, and I'd use temporary chats for anything you don't want kept.
If you're in the UK, the EEA or Switzerland, there's nothing to switch on for now. And if your business runs on Workspace work accounts, this isn't a team tool. For a Gemini habit that fits a working day, the Gemini daily brief is worth a look.
If you want your team getting more out of Gemini and the AI tools you already pay for, that's what I help with. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement, AI automation and GEO, which is about getting your business seen and cited in AI answers. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams, telecom companies and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini Personal Intelligence available in the UK?
Not yet. As of October 2026, Google's help page says that for now Personal Intelligence is not available in the United Kingdom, the European Economic Area, Switzerland or Nigeria.
Can I use Personal Intelligence with a Google Workspace work account?
No. It needs a personal Google Account. Work, school and supervised accounts can't use it, and you also need to be 18 or over with Keep Activity on.
How do I stop Gemini using my apps in one chat?
Click Tools in the text box and switch Personal Intelligence off. It stays off for that chat only, and earlier parts of the chat still count as context.
Does disconnecting an app delete what Gemini learned?
Not on its own. You need to delete the chats that contain the information from Gemini Apps Activity or Recent chats as well as disconnecting the app.
