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

You can go from zero to your first Secrets AI conversation in under 3 minutes — no app download required, no credit card at signup, and no technical setup. The platform runs entirely in a browser. What takes longer is understanding the Moments currency system well enough to avoid depleting your 200 free starting credits on your first session.

This guide covers every step in sequence: account creation, character selection, conversation setup, media generation, and the practical tips that determine whether the platform works well for you or frustrates you within the first week.

Quick-Start Summary

- Platform access: Browser only — navigate to secrets.ai

- Account creation time: Under 60 seconds

- Starting credits: 200 free Moments (one-time)

- Free message limit: 20 messages per day

- No app download, no real name, no credit card required to start

Step 1 — Create Your Account

Open any browser on any device and navigate to secrets.ai. No download, no installation, and no app store is involved — the platform is entirely web-based.

Click the sign-up option and complete the registration form:

• Email address: Required — used for account access and password reset
• Password: Standard requirements apply
• Real name: Not required — anonymous registration is supported
• Phone number: Not required
• Social media login: Not documented — email/password only

Account creation completes in under 60 seconds from entering the email address to active login. Upon registration, your account is credited with 200 Moments as a starting balance. The full character library is accessible immediately — no waiting period, no verification beyond email confirmation.

The free tier starts you with 20 messages per day. This resets every 24 hours. No credit card information is required for the free tier — you can evaluate the platform fully before any payment decision.

Step 2 — Choose Your First Character

After logging in, you reach the character library. Two paths are available:

Option A — Browse pre-built characters: The library contains approximately 94 hyper-realistic characters with pre-configured personalities and backstories. Each character has a defined set of personality traits, a visual profile, and scenario affinities. Browsing takes a few minutes and gives an immediate sense of the visual style and character range available.

Option B — Create a custom character (recommended): The first custom character creation is free — no Moments cost. Creating a custom character from the start gives you a companion configured precisely to your preferences. Available customization dimensions:

• Ethnicity: 9 options
• Body type: 6 options
• Appearance: Skin tone, eye color, hairstyle (multiple options each)
• Voice: 6 voice options
• Personality dimensions: Confidence, playfulness, dominance, intelligence
• Profession: 5 preset categories
• Personality trait presets: 5 options
• Hobbies and free-text details: Open input for specific preferences

When a new character is created (custom or imported), 4 starter images are auto-generated at no Moments cost. These provide an immediate visual profile for your companion.

Step 3 — Start Your First Conversation

Once you have selected or created a character, the conversation interface loads. Pre-written conversation starters appear — some casual, some suggestive — as prompts to send as your opening message. These are optional; you can type your own opening instead.

Key mechanics to know before the first message:

• The AI adapts to the tone you establish early — casual first messages produce casual responses; suggestive first messages calibrate the AI toward that register
• The AI will ask follow-up questions, revisit earlier mentions, and maintain character voice consistently
• Free tier users: 20 messages per day maximum, 500 characters per message
• Text messages cost 1–2 Moments each — your 200 starting credits allow approximately 100–200 text exchanges before depletion (if you send no images or videos)

Practical first-session advice: Use your opening messages to establish relationship context and personality preferences. The more specifically you define the interaction early, the more consistently the AI responds in alignment with your preferences throughout the session.

Step 4 — Explore Media Features

Generate Images

Image generation is accessed directly within the chat interface. After a conversation is underway:

1. Tap or click the image generation option
2. The AI generates 1 image based on the current conversation context and character profile
3. Cost: 25–50 Moments per image

With 200 starting Moments, this means approximately 4–8 images before the free credit is depleted — if you spend all credits on images. The recommendation for new users: spend your starting Moments on text conversation to evaluate quality before committing any to media generation.

Create Videos

Video generation requires the Lite plan or higher — it is not available on the free tier.

For users on paid plans:

1. Generate or select an existing companion image as the base
2. Write a text prompt describing the desired movement or action
3. Wait approximately 2 minutes for the AI to process the video
4. View and save the completed clip

Cost: approximately 50 Moments for a short 3-second clip; up to 600 Moments for longer clips. Video is the most Moments-intensive feature by a significant margin. On a Plus plan (3,000 Moments/month), each full-length video consumes 20% of the monthly allocation. Budget accordingly.

Try Voice Calls

Voice calls are available on paid tiers and offer 6 voice options with natural, emotionally adaptive tone. The cost is 100 Moments per minute — the second most expensive feature per unit of time after video. Voice quality is rated 4.3/5 by reviewers.

For budget management: one hour of voice calls would cost 6,000 Moments — more than the entire Plus tier monthly allocation. Voice is best used in shorter, high-value sessions rather than as background audio.

Step 5 — Manage Your Moments

The Moments balance is visible in your account settings. Tracking this actively prevents unexpected depletion.

Moments cost priority from cheapest to most expensive:

1. Text messages: 1–2 Moments (most efficient use of budget)
2. Manual memory save: 10 Moments (occasional, high-value use)
3. Images: 25–50 Moments (moderate cost, high engagement value)
4. Short video (3s): ~50 Moments (comparable to a few images)
5. Voice calls: 100 Moments/minute (high rate; use selectively)
6. Full-length video: ~600 Moments (reserve for deliberate use)
7. New character creation: 1,000–1,500 Moments (significant investment)

If your starting 200 Moments run out, options are:

• Continue on free tier with text-only conversation (no media)
• Purchase a Moments top-up bundle: starting at 1,980 Moments for $5.99
• Upgrade to Plus ($9.99/month) for unlimited text + 3,000 Moments monthly

Recommendation for most users: Upgrade to Plus ($9.99/month) when the free tier's limitations become constraining. Unlimited messaging and 3,000 Moments/month is the right balance of cost and capability for casual to moderate use. See the pricing breakdown for a full tier comparison.

Step 6 — Enable Privacy Features

Private Mode applies end-to-end encryption to a conversation and prevents that conversation from being used for AI training data. It is not enabled by default and must be activated per conversation.

To enable Private Mode:

1. Open the conversation settings within an active chat
2. Toggle Private Mode on before sending sensitive messages
3. Note: Private Mode must be re-enabled for each new conversation — it is not a global account setting

Additional privacy steps worth taking:

• Check that billing will appear as "Sun Clinical Laboratories" on your statement before completing a payment
• Consider using cryptocurrency (minimum $20) if you prefer no card record of the transaction
• Use an email address created specifically for this account to reduce identity linkage

For a complete analysis of what Private Mode does and does not protect, see the safety and privacy assessment.

Tips for New Users

Based on common new-user experiences:

• Start with the free tier before paying. The 200 Moments and 20 daily messages are enough to evaluate conversation quality and the character interface. Decide whether the experience is worth paying for before committing.
• Do not spend all 200 starting Moments on video. Video requires paid tiers — free accounts cannot generate video. Spend starting Moments on images (4–8 images) or save them all for text if you want maximum message depth.
• Create detailed character profiles. Specific personality and scenario inputs produce significantly better ongoing conversation quality than default settings.
• Memory is very limited on free tier. The 2–3 exchange recall window means the AI forgets most context quickly. If the relationship simulation depth is what matters to you, the free experience will feel shallow — that is by design, not a bug.
• The Plus plan ($9.99/month) is the sweet spot for most users who want the full experience without heavy video use.
• Add secrets.ai to your phone home screen for app-like access without needing to remember the URL.

Common Issues and Solutions

Messages not sending

Check your daily message limit. Free accounts are limited to 20 messages per 24 hours. If you've hit the limit, wait for the daily reset or upgrade to Lite (100/day) or Plus (unlimited). If the limit isn't the issue, check your internet connection — the platform is browser-based and requires a live connection.

AI seems forgetful

This is expected behavior on free and Lite tiers. Free tier memory is limited to 2–3 exchanges. Even on Lite (14-day recall), memory is described as basic long-term. Upgrading to Plus (30-day recall with topic/tone awareness) or Premium (unlimited emotional timeline) produces substantially more persistent companion behavior.

Slow responses

Peak-hour server load causes response delays. If response times are consistently slow, try accessing during off-peak hours. The platform does not publish server status, but early morning or late-night US time zone access typically produces faster responses.

Can't generate video

Video generation requires Lite plan or higher — it is not available on the free tier regardless of Moments balance. If you are on a paid plan and experiencing issues, verify your Moments balance is sufficient (50–600 Moments per clip) and that you have selected a companion image as the generation base.

Forgot password

Use the email-based password reset available on the login page at secrets.ai. The reset link is sent to your registered email address. If you no longer have access to that email, account recovery options are not publicly documented — use a recoverable email address during registration.

FAQ