Latest Apple Watch Can Grab Snippets of Conversation Without Both Speakers' Consent

Apple's newest Apple Watch Series 12 features Audio Intelligence, a set of AI audio processing capabilities designed for the S11 chip. This technology includes Sound Recognition, Music Recognition with Shazam, Live Rewind, and Siri Recap. Live Rewind allows users to instantly view the last 15 seconds of a conversation as text. Siri Recap summarizes conversations throughout the day and produces high-level Apple Intelligence-generated notes, enabling users to stay present and catch up later.

To initiate Live Rewind, users double-press the Digital Crown on the Apple Watch. The microphone captures an audio stream, which is then processed in a Secure Exclave on the S11 chip. The data is routed to the user's nearby iPhone, where a speech-to-text algorithm converts the 15-second audio segment into text. The audio is subsequently discarded, and the Watch emits an audible tone and visual cue to alert those nearby about the recording.

However, this all-party consent requirement is not met, as bystanders who recognize the tone have not given their consent to being recorded.

Apple claims that Live Rewind and Siri Recap respect the privacy of those around the user. The audible chime and visual on-screen animation warn those nearby, and Siri Recap does not create a recording, produce a verbatim transcript, or identify and attribute speakers. These features only generate a brief, high-level summary, similar to notes a person might write after a conversation. No raw audio is retained, and there is no way to reconstruct the original audio from Siri Recap or share raw audio with anyone.