How to stop being reminded of memories you don’t want to be reminded of

Final 12 months, on an ideal spring day that additionally occurred to be my birthday, I took a automotive journey to a gorgeous space of New York state. It was a beautiful day. The brand new foliage was simply popping out and flocks of migrating birds have been flying overhead — simply the proper day for a bunch of pictures and good reminiscences.

Sadly, my purpose for touring upstate wasn’t for the natural world, however to attend the funeral of my finest buddy. I took a number of pictures on that day: of different mates who attended the service, of the river paths and native parks that my finest buddy and I used to stroll collectively, and of the house she used to share along with her dad and mom, now empty. I took all of these pictures as a result of I knew it was most likely the final time that I might go to that place. 

And one 12 months later, predictably, Google popped up in my notifications with an invite to revisit the “great” reminiscences of that day. It was not one thing I wanted — or needed — a reminder of, particularly a peppy reminder that assumed I had an exquisite time and needed to share all these exhilarating reminiscences with all my mates.

I’m fairly certain I’m not the one one who finds these pop-ups much less of a pleasure and extra of an emotional arrow headed into your coronary heart.

After all, you’ll be able to keep away from these notifications by simply pulling out of the web or muting all your notifications — however in the event you’ve received mates you wish to be in contact with or notifications which are necessary to you, that gained’t work. As well as, chances are you’ll like having a few of these reminiscence reminders seem — simply not all of them. What if, say, you wish to merely keep away from pictures of an ex or of the journey the place you made a complete idiot of your self?

Maybe due to all of the complaints, among the extra egregious offenders — Google Photographs, Apple Photographs, Fb, and Microsoft OneDrive — have methods which you can cease them from showing. Relying on the app, you’ll be able to tweak your settings to keep away from particular reminiscence notifications — or cease them altogether.

Right here is easy methods to rein in undesirable reminiscences from these 4 apps.

You may tweak the Reminiscences function in Google Photographs to cease particular teams of pictures or carry it to a complete halt. The method differs relying on whether or not you’re utilizing a desktop or cell app.

(Sure, it could be good if Google’s newest AI function — no matter they wish to name it — may do that for you with a single request, however as with so many different issues, AI will not be fairly there but.)

• Go to Settings (the cog within the upper-right nook) and scroll right down to Reminiscences.
• If there’s a particular date that you simply don’t wish to be reminded of (or a number of particular dates), choose Cover dates > Add dates and add the date (or date vary) you wish to keep away from.
• If there’s a particular particular person or pet you don’t wish to be reminded of, choose Cover individuals & pets. You’ll see a group of all of the faces that Photographs has present in your photos. Click on on one you don’t wish to see, and will probably be grayed out with a “don’t see” image. Click on on it once more if you wish to restore it.
• In case you don’t need any pop-up reminiscences in any respect, disable Time-based reminiscences and Themed reminiscences.

• Faucet your private icon (within the upper-right nook) and Photographs settings > Preferences.
• Choose Reminiscences.
• Select Cover individuals or Cover dates to cease reminiscences of particular individuals or dates. (These work in the identical approach because the “conceal” function within the desktop app.)
• To disable pop-up reminiscences, choose Notifications and disable Time-based reminiscences or Themed reminiscences.

In case you use the Apple Photographs iPhone app, there are a number of the way you’ll be able to reduce or cease individuals or occasions from popping up after they’re not needed through the app’s Reminiscences options.

To manage how usually you see a selected particular person, pet, or different content material:

• Within the Photographs app, discover a image of the particular person you don’t wish to be reminded of.
• Faucet the three dots within the top-right nook and choose Characteristic This Particular person Much less.
• Choose Characteristic This Particular person Much less or By no means Characteristic This Particular person.

If you wish to make sure content material seem much less usually:

• Go to the For You tab in Apple Photographs, choose a reminiscence, and faucet the three dots within the upper-right nook.
• Faucet on Characteristic Much less after which Verify.

In case you’re the type of one that will get irritated by being bombarded with vacation pictures (and imagine me, I sympathize), then you’ll be able to particularly cease these in your fundamental settings:

• In Settings, choose Photographs.
• Scroll right down to Present Vacation Occasions and toggle it off. 

And so long as you’re there — if you wish to flip off Reminiscences altogether in your iPhone (which may even lower off Featured Photographs):

• Go to Settings > Photographs.
• Scroll right down to Present Featured Content material and toggle it off.

Yeah, I do know — it’s Fb. However it’s additionally the place quite a lot of your kin are, so it’s exhausting to let it go. However you don’t should let it continually remind you of belongings you don’t wish to be reminded of.

• Within the aspect menu, choose Reminiscences > Notifications.
• If you wish to cease Reminiscences altogether, choose None underneath Notifications. 
• If you wish to cease Reminiscences of particular individuals or dates, or utilizing key phrases, go to Cover Reminiscences decrease down on the web page and choose the suitable class.

• Faucet your private icon within the upper-right nook, and choose Reminiscences.
• Choose the Settings (cog) icon.
• If you wish to cease Reminiscences altogether, choose None underneath Notifications. 
• If you wish to cease Reminiscences of particular individuals or dates, or utilizing key phrases, search for Cover Reminiscences decrease down on the web page and choose the suitable class.

Microsoft, to not be left behind, affords OneDrive Reminiscences. Fortunately, it’s straightforward to show off.

• You may go on to OneDrive’s Notifications choice by going to this hyperlink; in any other case, in the event you’re utilizing the web site, click on on the cog within the upper-right nook and go to Choices > Notifications. 
• You’ll see a number of selections for Ship me e-mail when. Uncheck the field subsequent to On today reminiscences can be found.

• On the cell app, faucet Me (your private icon within the lower-right nook), then Settings > Notifications.
• You may then disable notifications for On today and Reminiscences from final month.