How to turn off the new 'always listening' feature on Apple Watches - usatoday.com
Apple has introduced new 'Audio Intelligence' features for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, allowing for ambient sound recognition and conversation summarization. The company emphasizes that these features are opt-in and process data locally within the device's secure hardware.
Why it matters
As wearable technology integrates more AI, privacy concerns regarding ambient recording become a central issue for consumer trust.
Hear this story Correction: This story was updated to clarify the release date of the new Apple Watches.
Amid conversations about the security of smart glasses , Apple is releasing two new smartwatches that can record ambient audio.
In addition to the highly anticipated iPhone Duo − the first foldable iPhone − Apple announced two new smartwatches on Sept. 9, both with the capability to listen, recall and summarize various sounds and conversations.
The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, available for purchase on Sept. 18, feature the tech giant's new Audio Intelligence features , powered by artificial intelligence. When enabled by a user, the features include sound and music recognition, picking up sounds like sirens, alarms or doorbells and alerting a user, or identifying the song title of music playing in the background.
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