How to Use Secrets AI: Complete Beginner's Guide (2026)

Secrets AI takes under five minutes to set up from a blank browser tab to your first conversation. No downloads, no app store, no technical configuration required. This guide walks through every step in sequence — account creation, character selection, first conversation, media features, Moments management, and privacy settings — with practical tips throughout for getting more from the platform from day one.

For background on what the platform offers before you commit, the full Secrets AI review covers everything in detail. If you just want to get started, read on.

Step 1 — Create Your Account

Open any browser — Chrome, Safari, Firefox all work — and navigate to secrets.ai. No app download is needed; the entire platform runs in the browser.

On the landing page, click the sign-up option and enter:

• Email address (no real name required)
• Password of your choosing

Account creation takes under 60 seconds. You are logged in immediately with:

• 200 free Moments as a starting credit
• Access to the full character library — all approximately 94 characters
• 20 free messages per day

The email address is the only personal information required. No phone number, no real name, no social media account needed. If privacy matters, use a purpose-created email alias rather than your primary address.

After account creation, you will have immediate access to browse and interact with every available character. The 200 Moments will cover a few images or a handful of text interactions — enough to evaluate the platform before any payment decision.

Step 2 — Choose or Create Your First Character

The character library opens automatically after signup. You have two paths:

Browse pre-built characters: Approximately 94 hyper-realistic female characters are available, with some anime options. Each character has a name, visual design, and preset personality. You can see character previews and read personality descriptions before committing to a conversation.

Create a custom character: The first custom character creation is free. The customization options are extensive:

• Ethnicity (9 options), skin tone, eye color, hairstyle
• Body type (6 options), voice (6 options)
• Personality sliders: confidence, playfulness, dominance, intelligence
• Profession (5 preset categories) and personality trait presets (5 options)
• Hobbies and a free-text detail field for anything not covered by presets

The free-text field is worth using — detailed input here produces significantly better conversation output than relying on preset options alone. If you want the character to have a specific history, a particular way of speaking, or unique quirks, put them in the free-text field.

Four images are automatically generated for each new character upon creation — these draw from your Moments balance.

Step 3 — Start Your First Conversation

Select a character and the chat interface opens. Conversation starters appear at the top — a mix of casual and suggestive options. Tap or click one to begin, or type your own opener.

The AI responds naturally and will ask follow-up questions. You do not need to provide lengthy prompts — natural conversation works better than scripted inputs. The AI adapts to your communication style fairly quickly within the first several exchanges.

Free tier reminder: On the free tier, you have 20 messages per day and a 500-character maximum per message. If you hit the daily limit, it resets after 24 hours. The 500-character limit rarely constrains normal conversation but is noticeable if you are writing detailed roleplay descriptions.

Tip on memory: The AI on the free tier has a 2-3 exchange recall window — it will not remember earlier parts of a long conversation. For a meaningful experience, consider upgrading to Plus ($9.99/month) which provides 30-day memory with topic and tone awareness. The free vs premium comparison breaks down what each tier change actually delivers.

Step 4 — Explore Media Features

Once you are comfortable with the chat interface, media features add significant depth to the companion experience.

Generate Images

The image generation option appears within the chat interface. Select it, choose a preset or describe what you want, and the generation model produces output in seconds.

• Cost: 25-50 Moments per image
• Two generation models available: standard and Advanced (higher tier unlocks better quality)
• Four image presets for quick generation without detailed prompting
• Hand rendering is occasionally imperfect — a known limitation of current AI image generation

Start with standard generation to preserve Moments. Switch to Advanced when you have a character you want to use extensively.

Create Videos

Video generation converts a companion image into a short motion clip. This is Secrets AI's most distinctive feature — the vast majority of competing platforms do not offer video generation.

1. Select an image of your companion from the chat
2. Add a prompt describing the desired movement or action
3. Wait approximately 2 minutes for processing
4. View and save the completed clip

Cost breakdown: 3-second clips cost approximately 50 Moments; longer, higher-quality clips reach 600 Moments. This makes video the most Moments-intensive feature on the platform. Start with short clips to test quality before committing to longer generation.

Deeper analysis of video quality and Moments budget planning is in the video generator guide.

Try Voice Calls

Voice calls use one of six available voice options and cost 100 Moments per minute. The AI generates spoken audio responses rather than live two-way conversation — it is closer to voice messaging than a phone call. Quality is rated 4.3/5 by reviewers.

Keep initial voice sessions short (5-10 minutes) to evaluate whether voice adds enough to your experience to justify the Moments cost. At 100 Moments per minute, a 10-minute session costs 1,000 Moments — the entire monthly allocation of a Lite plan.

Step 5 — Manage Your Moments

Moments management separates users who stay within budget from those who exhaust allocations unexpectedly. The Moments balance is visible in account settings.

Cost reference:

At the Plus tier (3,000 Moments/month), a balanced usage pattern might look like:

• 60 text-focused sessions: ~120 Moments
• 20 standard images: ~600 Moments
• 2 short video clips: ~100 Moments
• 5 minutes voice: 500 Moments
• Total: ~1,320 Moments (leaves healthy buffer)

At the same tier with heavy video use:

• 5 full-length video clips: ~3,000 Moments (entire monthly allocation gone)

If you consistently exhaust your monthly allocation, upgrading one tier or purchasing a Moments top-up (starting at 1,980 for $5.99) makes more sense than repeatedly running empty. See the pricing guide for full top-up options and tier comparisons.

Step 6 — Enable Privacy Features

Private Mode is not enabled by default and must be turned on at the start of each conversation where privacy matters:

1. Look for the Private Mode option in the conversation settings (typically a lock or privacy icon)
2. Enable it before sending any messages
3. The mode applies end-to-end encryption to the conversation and excludes it from AI training data

Important: Private Mode is not retroactive. Enabling it after you have already sent messages does not encrypt the earlier part of the conversation. Make it the first step when starting any session where privacy is a priority.

Billing appears on statements as "Sun Clinical Laboratories" regardless of Private Mode status — payment privacy is handled separately from conversation privacy.

Practical Tips for New Users

These approaches consistently produce better results for users just getting started:

• Start with the free tier to evaluate the interface — 200 Moments and 20 messages/day are enough to assess whether the chat quality is what you want before spending
• Do not spend all 200 starting Moments on video — a single full-length video can cost 600 Moments, more than the entire free allocation. Use starting Moments on a few images and text sessions to evaluate the experience
• Invest in character setup — detailed personality traits and free-text description during creation produce noticeably better conversations than minimal setup
• Upgrade to Plus if you are hitting daily message limits — the jump from 20 to unlimited messages on Plus ($9.99/month) is the most impactful upgrade for conversation-focused users
• Add secrets.ai to your home screen — this creates an app-like shortcut on mobile that opens in full-screen mode without browser UI
• Use the chat and roleplay guide for more detailed advice on improving conversation quality once you are familiar with the basics

Create your Secrets AI account →

Common Issues and Solutions

Messages are not sending or hitting a daily limit: The free tier caps at 20 messages per day with a 24-hour reset. If you hit this limit, wait for the reset or upgrade to a paid plan. Plus tier and above offer unlimited daily messaging.

The AI seems forgetful or does not remember earlier conversations: Free tier memory covers only 2-3 exchanges. For cross-session memory, any paid tier is required. Plus provides 30-day recall; Premium provides unlimited emotional timeline memory.

Responses are slow: Peak hours create server load that slows generation. Try off-peak times if speed is important. This affects response generation but not the quality of responses once they arrive.

Cannot generate video: Video generation requires the Lite plan or higher — it is not available on the free tier. You also need sufficient Moments in your balance. Check both your subscription tier and your Moments balance if video generation is not available.

Forgot password: Use the email-based password reset on the login page at secrets.ai. Enter your registered email address and follow the reset instructions sent to that address.

FAQ