Smart speaker privacy settings to change

What a smart speaker sends, and when

A speaker listens for its wake word using short audio snippets that are checked on the device. Google says these snippets are not sent to or saved by Google unless the wake word is detected; after that, the request goes to its servers. Accidental activations still happen when a TV, a conversation or a noise sounds like the wake word. That is why history review and deletion matter even if you never mean to share anything.

The Federal Trade Commission notes that voice assistants can listen constantly and send recordings to the manufacturer, and recommends reviewing privacy settings on every connected device. Three controls cover most of the risk: what is saved, how long it is kept and who can use the device.

Alexa: history, auto-delete and what changed in 2025

In the Alexa app, open the Alexa Privacy settings. Amazon describes these options:

• Review and delete recordings one at a time, by date range, by device or all together. Saying “Alexa, delete everything I’ve said” clears all saved recordings on your account.
• Auto-delete. You can have recordings deleted on a rolling three-month or 18-month schedule.
• Don’t save recordings. Recordings are removed after Alexa processes the request, and previously saved recordings are removed too. Amazon says transcripts stay viewable for 30 days and can be deleted sooner in the app.

One setting is gone. On March 28, 2025, Amazon ended the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” option, which kept audio on the device on three Echo models (4th generation Echo Dot, Echo Show 10 and Echo Show 15). Anyone using it was switched to “Don’t save recordings.” Audio is now processed in the cloud, so the useful control is deletion, not local-only processing.

Two more checks: turn on a confirmation code for voice purchases or turn voice purchasing off if children or guests use the speaker, and review which skills have permission to your contacts, location or lists.

Google Home: Home History and the audio opt-in

On speakers and displays that use Gemini for Home, activity is stored under Home History. In the Google Home app, tap your profile picture, then Home settings, then Privacy, then Home History. You can also manage it at myactivity.google.com/product/home.

• Delete the last hour, the last day, a custom range or all time.
• Auto-delete. The default keeps activity for 18 months. You can change it to 3 or 36 months, or choose not to auto-delete.
• Audio recordings are a separate opt-in. The setting “Improve Google services with your voice, audio, and Gemini Live recordings” is off by default and needs Home History to be on. Leave it off unless you have a reason.
• Voice Match and personal results. With Voice Match on, the assistant does not read your calendar or contacts to a voice it does not recognize. Without it, anyone near the speaker can hear or see your personal results.
• Guest Mode (“Hey Google, turn on Guest Mode”) stops recordings and requests from being saved to the owner’s account and hides personal results. Third-party apps and smart home services may still keep their own records.

Siri and HomePod: opt-in sharing and local history

Apple says audio of Siri requests is not stored unless you opt in to Improve Siri and Dictation. Transcripts may be kept, linked to a random identifier that changes several times an hour rather than to your Apple Account, for up to two years. Check three places:

1. Settings, Privacy & Security, Analytics & Improvements: make sure Improve Siri and Dictation is off if you do not want audio reviewed.
2. Settings, Siri, Siri & Dictation History: delete the history stored on the device.
3. Siri settings per device: turn off Siri entirely on devices that should never listen, such as a child’s iPad.

Apple notes that deleting on-device history does not describe deleting data already held on its servers, so treat opt-in sharing as the setting that matters most.

Side-by-side: what to set on each platform

The microphone mute button: what it does and does not do

Most speakers have a mute button or switch. Muting stops the device from listening for the wake word, which is the right move during a private call or a sensitive conversation. Check how your model works: some switches physically disconnect the microphones, others are software controls. Muting does not delete past recordings and does not stop the speaker from running timers, music or smart home commands you give by app.

Shared homes, kids and guests

• Create a separate profile for each adult so one person’s calendar, messages and shopping do not answer to every voice.
• Use the platform’s kids or family features and review their activity settings instead of giving a child the owner’s account.
• Put speakers in living areas, not in bedrooms or bathrooms, unless you rely on them there.
• Tell guests the speaker exists, and use Guest Mode or the mute button when privacy matters.
• Protect the account itself: a unique password and two-factor authentication, as the FTC recommends for every connected device.

A ten-minute checklist

1. Delete existing voice history on each platform you use.
2. Set auto-delete to the shortest period you are comfortable with, or stop saving recordings.
3. Confirm audio-improvement sharing is off.
4. Turn on a purchase confirmation code, or turn voice purchasing off.
5. Turn on Voice Match or voice profiles in shared homes.
6. Add two-factor authentication to your Amazon, Google or Apple account.
7. Remove skills, actions and linked services you no longer use.

If you want voice control that never leaves your home, see local voice control without the cloud. To tell your devices apart before you share access, read how to share smart home access.