Amazon to End Alexa’s “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” Feature

Amazon will remove the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature from Echo devices starting March 28, according to an email sent to customers. The feature allowed users to have their Alexa voice recordings processed locally, rather than through Amazon’s cloud.

The update comes as Amazon rolls out a generative AI version of Alexa, Alexa+. According to the company, Alexa+ relies on advanced voice recognition features that require full access to Amazon’s cloud, making the privacy-focused option incompatible with the updated service.

“As we continue to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature,” the email sent to customers around mid-March stated.

Amazon will automatically switch users to the “Don’t Save Recordings” setting, which deletes recordings after they are processed in the cloud. This change will take effect by March 28. Voice ID will also stop working unless users deactivate the feature.

It’s worth noting that “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” was only available for a handful of Alexa users with the newest devices, and only for US users with English set as their language. The feature also didn’t keep conversations with Alexa completely private, as audio transcripts were still sent to Amazon’s servers.

Anticipating privacy concerns, an Amazon spokesperson shared a statement with media platforms: “The Alexa experience is designed to protect our customers’ privacy and keep their data secure, and that’s not changing. We’re focusing on the privacy tools and controls that our customers use most and work well with generative AI experiences that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud. Customers can continue to choose from a robust set of tools and controls, including the option to not save their voice recordings at all […]”

Privacy-oriented users might still be skeptical of this update, as Amazon has a spotty track record when it comes to Alexa’s security features. In 2023, Amazon agreed to pay $25 million to settle a lawsuit over children’s privacy.

Users of these voice-activated devices might have to contend with some privacy compromises across the board. By the end of 2024, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that its Alexa-like service, Siri, shared user recordings without consent.