Should your Apple Watch always be listening?

When Apple announced the new features on the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, the company emphasized the privacy protections in place. These two Audio Intelligence features, Live Rewind and Siri Recap, continuously record audio by default. Live Rewind generates a 15-second transcription upon double-pressing the Digital Crown, while Siri Recap stores notes throughout the day and provides summaries using Apple Intelligence.

The privacy and security concerns surrounding these features have been significant. Apple has promised transparency, end-to-end encryption, and no access to the data by external parties. However, the features are not completely opt-out, and the audio is not stored or easily accessible. Instead, it is processed using the Secure Exclave and discarded immediately after processing. The data is then deleted within a short time frame, either 30 seconds for Live Rewind or seven days for Siri Recap.

Despite these measures, the features still raise concerns about unwanted recordings, potential leakage of information, and the implications for privacy, safety, and legal rights. As Apple focuses on recording our conversations without consent, the boundaries of privacy continue to blur.