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

Account setup takes under 60 seconds. Getting genuinely good results from the platform takes a bit longer — the difference between a mediocre first experience and a strong one comes down to how you configure your character and how you pace your starting Moments. This guide walks through every step, with specific advice on where most new users go wrong.

Step 1 — Create Your Account

Open any browser on any device and go to secrets.ai. No app download is required — Secrets AI is browser-based. Click the sign-up button, enter an email address, and set a password. That is the full registration process.

No real name is required. No phone number verification is sent. No social media login is needed. Your account is functional immediately after signup. You start with 200 Moments as a one-time welcome credit and have access to the full character library from your first session.

If you are concerned about privacy, note that the email address is the only personal identifier required. Using an email not connected to your real name keeps the account effectively anonymous. For payment privacy, the platform accepts cryptocurrency with a minimum transaction of $20. The billing descriptor on card statements is "Sun Clinical Laboratories" — there is no reference to Secrets AI or adult content. See the privacy and safety guide for the full security picture.

Step 2 — Choose or Create Your First Character

After login, you arrive at the character library. The library contains approximately 94 pre-built hyper-realistic characters plus some anime-style options. Each character has an established name, appearance, personality, and a set of pre-loaded roleplay scenarios.

Browsing the library is free and unrestricted. Take time here — the character you start with shapes your entire introduction to the platform.

If none of the pre-built characters match your preferences, creating a custom character is the alternative. The first custom character costs no Moments. Building your own allows you to set:

• Appearance: ethnicity (9 options), skin tone, eye color, hairstyle, body type (6 options)
• Voice: 6 voice profiles
• Personality: confidence, playfulness, dominance, intelligence levels
• Background: profession (5 preset categories), personality trait presets (5 options), hobbies
• Free-text details: any additional preferences or context not covered by the presets

The free-text details field is the most important field in this form. Specific context you enter here — established relationship history, behavioral preferences, tone — shapes how the AI engages from the very first message. Do not skip it or leave it vague.

When you create a custom character, four starter images are automatically generated. This uses some of your starting Moments allocation.

Step 3 — Start Your First Conversation

Conversation starters are provided for every character — roughly half are casual or relationship-building prompts, half are suggestive. Using a provided starter is the lowest-friction entry point; the AI picks up the scenario from there.

The AI responds naturally, asks follow-up questions, and adapts its tone to match yours. Set the register of the conversation early — the AI calibrates to your style within the first few exchanges. Free users can send 20 messages per day with a 500-character limit per message. There is no per-message cost in Moments for text chat (text messages cost 1-2 Moments but are essentially negligible compared to media costs).

The single most common mistake new users make: spending all 200 starting Moments immediately on video or voice, leaving nothing for further exploration. The recommended approach for first sessions is to stay in text chat and use the starting Moments for a few test images to evaluate the visual quality.

Step 4 — Explore Media Features

Generate Images

Image generation is accessible from within a chat session. Select the image generation option and submit a prompt or use the platform's preset options. Cost: 25-50 Moments per image. Four images are automatically generated when you create a new character.

Two generation models are available — Premium and Advanced. The Advanced model produces better results on paid tiers. Image quality is realistic for most subjects, with occasional rendering glitches on hands. Reviewers rate image quality as solid but note that Candy AI produces sharper output at higher price points.

Create Videos

Video generation starts from an existing companion image. Select an image, add a text prompt describing the desired movement or action, and submit. The AI processes the request in approximately two minutes and produces a short video clip.

Short three-second clips cost around 50 Moments. Longer, higher-quality clips cost up to 600 Moments. Video generation is available on Lite plan and above — it is not accessible on the free tier. This is Secrets AI's most distinctive feature; most competitor platforms do not offer video generation at all. For a detailed analysis of the video generator, see the video generator guide.

Try Voice Calls

Six voice profiles are available. Voice calls cost 100 Moments per minute — the fastest way to consume your monthly Moments allocation if used frequently. The voice quality is rated 4.3/5; the AI adapts vocal delivery to conversation context. Voice is available on all paid plans; the free tier does not include voice access.

Step 5 — Manage Your Moments Budget

Your Moments balance is visible in the account settings area. Tracking it is important — the system does not alert you when you are running low, and there are no documented spending caps.

The hierarchy of Moments consumption from cheapest to most expensive:

1. Text messages: 1-2 Moments each
2. Image generation: 25-50 Moments each
3. Short video (3 seconds): ~50 Moments
4. Manual memory save: 10 Moments
5. Voice calls: 100 Moments per minute
6. Full-length video: up to 600 Moments
7. New custom character: 1,000-1,500 Moments

On the free 200 Moments: you can generate approximately four images, or two short voice minutes, or one medium-length video (leaving nothing else). Use them to sample features, not exhaust them on a single experience.

If you need more Moments, top-up bundles are available starting at 1,980 Moments for $5.99. Or consider upgrading: Plus at $9.99/month includes 3,000 Moments plus unlimited text messaging — the plan comparison shows the full value math.

Step 6 — Configure Privacy Settings

Enabling Private Mode is worthwhile if conversation privacy matters to you. Private Mode applies end-to-end encryption to a specific conversation and opts it out of AI training data collection. The key detail: it must be enabled per conversation — it is not a global account setting.

Check that you understand the billing descriptor: all charges from Secrets AI appear on card statements as "Sun Clinical Laboratories." If you use cryptocurrency, there is no card statement entry at all.

Account deletion removes all data permanently within 30 days — this includes chat history, characters, and generated content.

Tips That Make the Biggest Practical Difference

Based on the platform's documented behavior and reviewer feedback, these are the settings and habits that most affect the quality of the experience:

• Write a detailed free-text profile for your character. Vague profiles produce generic responses; specific context produces personalized engagement.
• Start on free to test the conversation quality before spending. The 200 Moments and 20 messages/day is enough to evaluate whether the AI style suits you.
• Do not use free-tier Moments on video. Images are a better use of the starting allocation for evaluation purposes.
• Memory is the biggest quality leap from free to paid. The 2-3 exchange free-tier memory makes sustained relationship simulation impossible. Plus ($9.99) is the minimum tier where the platform begins to feel continuous.
• Add secrets.ai to your home screen. The PWA shortcut (browser share button → "Add to Home Screen") gives a more app-like experience on both iOS and Android.
• Use Premium models when available. If your tier includes higher-tier AI models, the conversation quality difference is observable.

For a head-to-head comparison of free vs paid to decide whether upgrading makes sense, see the free vs premium breakdown.

Common Issues and Solutions

Messages not sending: Check the daily message limit. Free accounts are limited to 20 messages per 24-hour period. The counter resets daily. If you have hit the limit, either wait for the reset or upgrade to a paid tier.

The AI seems to forget previous conversations: Free-tier memory resets after two to three exchanges. This is not a bug — it is the documented free-tier limitation. Upgrading from free to Plus provides approximately 30 days of memory recall.

Response times are slow: Peak usage hours (primarily evenings in North American time zones) cause response delays. Trying again at off-peak hours usually resolves the issue. This is a platform infrastructure constraint, not a local connection problem.

Cannot generate video: Video generation requires Lite plan or above plus a Moments balance sufficient for the clip. Free-tier users do not have access to video generation. If you are on a paid tier and the option is unavailable, check your Moments balance.

Forgot password: The login page includes a password reset option via email. Enter the email address used during signup and follow the reset link sent to that address.

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