Apple explains how Siri Audio Intelligence handles privacy on Apple Watch

In short: Apple released a document saying its new Siri Audio Intelligence listening features on Apple Watch do not save raw audio and are processed in protected hardware.

What happened

Apple announced several new Siri features at its iPhone Duo launch event, including Siri Recap, Live Rewind, Sound Recognition, and Music Recognition. These features can involve “ambient listening,” which means the device listens for certain sounds or speech around you.

Along with the announcement, Apple published a privacy overview that explains what happens to microphone audio. Apple says the raw audio is handled inside dedicated hardware, is not saved as an audio file, and is not accessible to the watch’s main software, other apps, or Apple.

Apple says these Audio Intelligence features rely on something called the Secure Enclave, inside the S11 chip used in the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. The Secure Enclave is a locked room inside the device’s chip (like a safe inside a safe) that processes sensitive data separately. Apple says the watch uses a short audio buffer that is continuously overwritten, so it never becomes a stored recording.

Apple also says users control whether and when these features are active. For example, Live Rewind requires a double tap of the Digital Crown each time you want to use it.

Why it matters

Features that listen for sounds can make people worry about being recorded. Apple’s document is meant to reassure users that the watch is analyzing sounds in the moment, not building a library of recordings that could be accessed later. The details also show that privacy choices may vary by feature, so it may be worth checking settings before turning them on.

Source: The Verge AI