Amazon to Axe Setting That Lets You Store Alexa Voice Recordings Locally

Amazon Echo users are set to lose the option to store and process their Alexa requests locally, meaning all of their voice recordings will be sent to Amazon’s cloud.

After March 28, Amazon will discontinue its “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” setting on Echo devices that allowed people to store their recordings solely on their own device. After that, unless you proactively change your settings, all your voice recordings will be sent directly to Amazon’s cloud for processing before being deleted.

In a recent email sent to customers, Amazon attributed the decision to stop supporting the feature to its expansion of “Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud.”

At an event in New York last month, Amazon displayed some of the new AI functionality that the updated Alexa+ is capable of. These included features like being able to search and summarize documents or emails you’ve shared or look up information, as part of a generally less stiff and more human-like experience.

However, these new AI-driven features won’t be accessible for consumers who aren’t happy about Amazon processing their data in the cloud. In the email to customers, Amazon said that if voice recording settings are set to “Don’t save recordings,” voice ID will not work, and users won’t be able to access some of Alexa+’s more personalized features.

Numerous Alexa users are unhappy with the move. One user on Reddit dubbed this a “great opportunity to discontinue Amazon Alexa!”

Amazon’s record when it comes to using the data collected by Alexa isn’t exactly picture-perfect. In 2023, the tech giant was hit with a $25 million civil settlement after failing to disclose it stored recordings of children’s conversations with Alexa indefinitely. We’ve also seen Amazon compelled to hand over data to be used as evidence in criminal trials in various states in the US and Germany.

If you’re concerned about how your data is being used, or if you’re not interested Alexa+’s $20 monthly subscription fee, check out PCMag’s guide to the best smart speaker alternatives to the Amazon Echo.

About Will McCurdy

Contributor

I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

Read Will’s full bio

Read the latest from Will McCurdy