Claude’s New Feature Rivals ChatGPT – Here’s Who Gets Access

Anthropic is expanding access to its innovative Memory feature for Claude, moving beyond enterprise clients to include all paid Pro and Max subscribers. This significant update allows the AI assistant to retain details from your interactions, creating a more fluid and personalized user experience that reduces repetitive prompting. For individuals relying on AI for complex or ongoing tasks, this development promises a substantial leap in productivity and contextual understanding.

Previously exclusive to business customers since its September launch, Memory is now part of the subscription packages for Claude Pro and Claude Max. The Pro plan is priced at $20 per month, while the Max tier ranges from $100 to $200 monthly. These subscriptions also provide entry to a suite of additional capabilities, including Web Search, Voice Mode, Research, and Claude Code. If you’ve been considering an upgrade, the introduction of Memory could be the deciding factor.

So, what exactly does the Memory feature accomplish? Powered by the Claude 4 model family, encompassing Opus 4.1, Sonnet 4.5, and Haiku 4.5, it grants Claude continuous context from your past dialogues. The objective is straightforward: you spend less time re-explaining your situation and more time receiving precisely tailored answers.

Imagine you previously told Claude you have a 15-pound Yorkshire Terrier. With Memory active, you could later simply ask, “How much playtime does my Yorkie need?” or “What’s a safe daily blueberry portion for my dog?” Claude would instantly recall the stored weight information, eliminating the need to repeat it. This functionality also connects different sessions you might be running at the same time, preventing each chat from existing in an isolated bubble. You benefit from cohesive, personalized interactions without starting from zero every time.

Mike Krieger, Anthropic’s Chief Product Officer, emphasized the long-term vision, stating, “We’re building toward Claude understanding your complete work context and adapting automatically. Memory starts with project continuity, but it’s really about creating sustained thinking partnerships that evolve over weeks and months.”

Naturally, a tool that stores personal data raises valid security and privacy questions. Anthropic has addressed these by making Memory entirely optional and equipping users with detailed controls. You can not only activate or deactivate the feature but also delete specific memories. The company differentiates its approach by showing users the exact information Claude remembers, moving beyond the vague summaries offered by some competitors, a likely reference to ChatGPT’s Memory function.

Within Claude, you can edit memories using natural conversation, directing the AI to focus on or disregard certain details. The company also conducted extensive safety testing, with special attention to user well-being scenarios. For those utilizing Claude’s Projects feature, dedicated hubs for groups of related chats, the system creates separate memory spaces for each project. This ensures details from a work project don’t intermingle with those from a personal one, maintaining clear boundaries.

Finally, users have the flexibility to import and export their memory data. You can transfer information from other AI platforms like ChatGPT or Gemini via simple copy-and-paste, and you can export your Claude memories at any time using instructions available in the support center.

Access to the Memory feature begins rolling out to all Max subscribers starting this Thursday. Pro subscribers will see the feature become available over the next several days. Once it appears in your settings, you will have the choice to apply Memory to all past conversations or restrict it to new dialogues only.

(Source: ZDNET)