Memory should be something you can inspect

An AI companion can feel more familiar when you do not have to explain the same preferences every time. But useful memory is more than a claim that an app “remembers everything”. You need to know what it saved, whether it is accurate and how to change it.

Alys gives signed-in users an ongoing conversation and a separate collection of saved memories. Start with a free account; visitors can explore the scene before signing in.

Chat history and saved memories are different

Chat history is the record of your conversation. A saved memory is a specific fact or preference that can help a later reply: for example, that you enjoy photography or prefer short answers.

Alys uses selected context rather than rereading your entire history on every turn. This keeps conversations practical as they grow, but it also means recall is selective. Do not assume every old detail will be available in every reply, or that a confident answer proves an accurate memory exists.

For an important preference, check the memory list yourself. You can add a clear entry instead of relying on an inference from a long exchange.

What automatic saving is intended to capture

Automatic memories are designed around clear things you tell Alys about yourself. An assistant suggestion, a guess or a passing mood should not become a fact about you. Sensitive information requires an explicit request to remember it; passwords and credentials do not belong in memories.

A useful distinction is between “I love hiking” and “Imagine I am a mountaineer in this story”. The first states a preference. The second describes a fictional role. AI can still make mistakes, so review the saved result rather than treating the intended behaviour as a guarantee.

Four controls worth knowing

  • Add or edit: write a precise preference or correct something Alys misunderstood. User-edited memories are protected from automatic overwriting.
  • Pause automatic memories: stop new facts being saved automatically. Existing saved memories are still available unless you also disable their use.
  • Disable use of saved memories: keep the collection but stop using it to personalise replies.
  • Delete a memory: remove a particular saved fact and its known supporting material from future AI context.

These choices let you adjust personalisation without immediately deleting everything. Settings are available in Your Alys for admitted users.

What forgetting means

Deleting one memory removes the saved fact and its associated retrieval data. Alys also excludes known source messages from AI context and rebuilds affected summaries. The original conversation can remain readable.

There is an important limit: if the same information appears elsewhere in history and that repetition has not been identified, it may resurface. Selective deletion is not a guarantee that every paraphrase across a long conversation has been found.

If you want a broader change, use the separate clearing controls. Clear conversation removes the conversation while preserving saved memories. Clear saved memories removes that collection. Reset Alys is the option for returning to square one by clearing both conversation and memories.

A simple memory check

Tell Alys one non-sensitive preference. After any saved-memory feedback appears, open the memory list and inspect the wording. Correct it if needed. In a later conversation, ask about the preference without supplying the answer.

That small test tells you more than a dramatic claim about perfect recall. It also gives you a habit that works when evaluating Replika alternatives: judge both recollection and the controls available when recollection is wrong.

Start for free with ongoing conversations and personal memories.

Written by the Alys team. Alys features updated 6 October 2026.