How does Nova learn from my corrections?

Goal

See where Nova looks first for a kind of question and how it answers, and accept, adjust or discard what it learned.

Before you start

• Expert view. The switch is in How do I switch between Simple and Expert?
• Conversations at the avatar. Nova learns only there.

Steps

1. Settings, Memory & history, the Nova learns tab. The switch Nova learns is on by default. Here Nova remembers where to look first for a kind of question and how you like the answer. It does not store questions or answers.
2. Nova learns from how you react at the avatar. If you rephrase the same question within two minutes, or stop an answer in the first 30 seconds, that counts as a correction.
3. A direct correction applies at once, for example “You don’t need to check my mail for that.” Nova confirms that it will check there last for this kind of question. With “never” it no longer checks there.
4. At least three conversations on the same topic turn into a suggestion, but only if Nova would really do something differently. Questions that need more than three sources never become a card. The suggestion appears under Newly learned, waiting for you, with the number of open suggestions.
5. Each card says in full sentences what Nova does differently, for example “I look in Calendar first.” Accept makes the suggestion apply. Adjust opens it: for each source you pick First, Normal, Last or Never, plus the answer form, such as Short, As a list or Step by step. The box How I apply it shows the result right away. Discard puts it away.
6. Under Confirmed are the cards that apply, also in full sentences. Edit changes a card, Delete asks first.
7. With iCloud sync, only the cards that apply go to your other Macs. Suggestions and learning data stay on this Mac. See How do I use Nova on two Macs?
8. Forget everything learned deletes, after a confirmation, all cards, suggestions and learning data on this Mac. With iCloud sync, the cards also disappear on your other Macs.

Example

You ask about your next appointment, and Nova also searches Mail. You say: “You don’t need to check my mail for that.” For this kind of question, Nova then checks Mail last.

Common problems

• Nova does not learn facts about you here. That is what memory is for, see What does Nova remember, and how do I delete an entry?
• Nova understands the direct correction only in German and English, in a short sentence with exactly one source such as Mail, Calendar or Web.
• Only you set Never. On its own, Nova moves a source to Last at most.
• Observations expire after 90 days. After Discard, only new conversations count toward a new suggestion.
• Conversations in Nova Chat do not count.