Apple allows listening to audio recordings Siri opt-in

Apple makes letting it listen to audio recordings from digital assistant Siri opt-in. After the recent outcry, Apple temporarily stopped listening to recordings, now it’s starting again. Only Apple employees will listen to those recordings to improve the digital assistant.

Apple hopes that many users will choose to let employees listen to recordings of voice commands, the company says. It is unknown what the request for consent will look like and when it will appear. Users can revoke permission at any time, the American electronics maker emphasizes. Apple will continue to use text-translated voice commands to improve Siri without opt-in.

Employees of partner companies listen in on voice commands to hear whether the digital assistant had understood users correctly, it turned out last month. Apple isn’t alone in this: Google did the same with Assistant, Amazon with Alexa, and Microsoft with Skype Translator, Cortana and on the Xbox One.

Unlike those other companies, Apple does not allow users to find a log of their recordings online. In addition, Apple has always emphasized that it values ​​privacy and Siri does as much as possible on the device itself, leading many users to assume that Apple didn’t hire people to listen to recordings.

All companies have stopped allowing recordings to be listened to after the uproar in recent months. Amazon has also said that it will be opt-in. Google lets users stop saving audio recordings. Microsoft has made it clearer in the conditions that people can listen to recordings to improve voice services.