Snapchat’s My AI isn’t private in the way a chat with a friend is. Snapchat says everything you share with My AI is stored until you delete it, that it may be used to improve Snap’s products and personalize your experience, including ads, and that My AI uses your location if you’ve shared it with Snapchat. You can clear your My AI data in settings, but removing My AI from the top of your chat list is tied to the paid Snapchat+ subscription.
None of that makes My AI dangerous for asking what to watch tonight. It does mean you shouldn’t treat it like a diary, a therapist or a place for anything you’d hate to see used to target you. Here’s what Snapchat says, how to clear your data, and what to use instead for private questions.
What does Snapchat do with My AI chats? #
Snapchat’s help page on My AI is fairly direct. Three points matter most:
- Storage: “All the content shared with My AI is stored until you delete it.”
- Use: that content “may also be used by Snap to improve Snap’s products and personalize your experience, including ads.”
- Location: content shared with My AI, “including your location if you’ve shared that with Snapchat,” is used to give relevant answers, such as nearby place recommendations.
So a My AI conversation isn’t a disposable chat that vanishes like a Snap. It’s kept, and what you talk about can feed the ads you see across Snapchat. That’s the same trade many free services make, and it’s the trade people often don’t realize they’ve accepted because My AI sits right next to their friends in the chat list.
How chatbots use conversations for advertising varies a lot by company. We compare Meta, OpenAI, Google and others in do AI chatbots use your chats for ads?
Can Snapchat’s My AI see your location? #
It can use your location if you’ve shared it with Snapchat, which you may have done for Snap Map or location filters. That’s how My AI can suggest a coffee shop nearby.
If you don’t want that, review location access for Snapchat in your phone’s settings:
- iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Snapchat. Choose Never, or While Using the App, and consider turning off Precise Location.
- Android: Settings > Location > App location permissions > Snapchat.
Turning off location affects other Snapchat features too, like Snap Map. Our guide to AI app permissions goes through which permissions AI apps really need.
How to delete your My AI data #
Snapchat lets you clear past My AI content from the app. According to its help page, you can do it from either of these places:
- Open Settings (tap your profile, then the gear icon).
- Go to Privacy Controls > Clear Data > Clear My AI Data.
- Or go to Account Actions > Clear My AI Data.
- Confirm.
Two caveats. First, clearing your data removes the stored conversations, but Snapchat doesn’t describe it as undoing any ad personalization or product improvements your chats already fed into, so it’s better not to share sensitive things in the first place. Second, menus move around between app versions, so if you can’t find the option, search Snapchat’s support site for “Clear My AI Data.” For deleting data from other AI services, see our guide to deleting your data from AI chatbots.
Can you get rid of My AI on Snapchat? #
Snapchat’s help page lists managing My AI, including unpinning it from your chat feed, as something that comes with Snapchat+, the paid subscription. Without it, My AI stays in your chat list.
What you can do on the free version:
- Don’t open it. My AI only gets what you send it.
- Clear your My AI data periodically, as above.
- Limit location access for Snapchat.
- Keep sensitive topics out of it entirely (see below).
Is My AI safe for teens? #
My AI is a general-purpose chatbot built into an app many teenagers use every day, which is why parents search for it. The privacy points above apply to teens too: chats are stored until deleted and may inform ad personalization.
If you’re a parent, the practical steps are the same as for any AI chat: talk about what not to share, review the location setting together, and check Snapchat’s Family Center for the current parental options, since those change over time. It’s also worth explaining that My AI is software, not a person, even though it sits among real friends in the chat list.
What you shouldn’t tell My AI #
Because chats are stored and used for personalization, leave these out:
- your full name, home address, school or workplace
- health questions, including mental health and sexual health
- anything about money, debts or passwords
- details about friends or family that they wouldn’t want shared
- photos of documents, IDs or other people
- anything you’d be embarrassed to see reflected in the ads you get
Our broader guide to keeping personal data out of AI chatbots covers how to ask sensitive questions without identifying yourself.
A private alternative for personal questions #
If what you want is an AI to talk to about personal things, the most private option is one that doesn’t send your words anywhere.
Personal LLM runs open AI models like Qwen 3.5 and Gemma 4 entirely on your iPhone or Android phone. There’s no account, no server and no chat history in the cloud. After you download a model once, it works in airplane mode, and your conversations stay on the phone until you delete them. The free version shows ads from Google AdMob when you’re online, but the ads come from the app’s ad slots, not from reading your chats, and none load offline. It can also look at photos you attach, on the device, so a picture never leaves your phone either.
The trade-off is that a phone-sized model is less capable than the big cloud models, and it doesn’t know about places near you or today’s news. For questions about your health, relationships, school or money, that’s usually a fair trade.
Frequently asked questions #
Does Snapchat save My AI conversations? #
Yes. Snapchat says all content shared with My AI is stored until you delete it. You can clear it through Settings, under Privacy Controls or Account Actions, with the Clear My AI Data option.
Does Snapchat use My AI chats for ads? #
Snapchat says My AI content may be used to improve its products and personalize your experience, including ads. If you don’t want your conversations shaping ads, keep personal topics out of My AI and clear your data regularly.
Can My AI see my location? #
If you’ve shared your location with Snapchat, My AI can use it to give answers like nearby recommendations. You can restrict Snapchat’s location access in your phone’s privacy settings.
How do I remove My AI from Snapchat? #
Snapchat ties managing My AI, including unpinning it from the chat feed, to Snapchat+. Without a subscription, it stays in your chat list, but it only receives what you choose to send it.