Starting March 28, 2025, Amazon Echo users will experience significant changes to how their voice requests are processed. For years, Echo owners had the option to process requests locally, ensuring their information remained private and was not sent to Amazon's servers. However, this feature, known as “Do Not Send Voice Recordings,” will be discontinued as the company shifts towards expanding Alexa's capabilities with new generative AI features.
In an email sent to Echo customers, Amazon announced the upcoming changes, stating, “We are reaching out to let you know that the Alexa feature ‘Do Not Send Voice Recordings’ that you enabled on your supported Echo device(s) will no longer be available beginning March 28th, 2025.” This means all voice recordings will be sent to Amazon’s cloud for processing. While the company assures users that these recordings will be deleted after processing, customers are expressing concerns about their privacy and data security.
The recent update will also affect the functionality of the Voice ID feature. If users have their Echo settings configured to “Don’t save recordings,” they will lose access to personalized features that enhance their experience, such as sharing calendar events, reminders, and music suggestions. According to reports from Ars Technica, users will need to manually adjust their settings to retain these functionalities.
Amazon has stated that the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature was an opt-in option, available only to a small percentage of U.S. customers with devices set to English. The company claimed that less than 0.03% of users utilized this feature, which was supported on only three Echo devices: the Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15.
An Amazon spokesperson emphasized, “The Alexa experience is designed to protect our customers’ privacy and keep their data secure, and that’s not changing.” They highlighted the ongoing commitment to user privacy, stating that customers can still opt to avoid saving their voice recordings entirely. “We’ll continue learning from customer feedback and building privacy features on their behalf,” they added.
The announcement has drawn significant backlash from the community. Many customers took to platforms like Reddit to voice their frustrations. One user expressed their anger as a blind person, emphasizing the importance of voice control for accessibility. Another commented, “Alexa has been a game changer for our super ADHD household. I’m really not looking forward to dismantling it.”
Concerns about privacy have also been raised, with one customer stating, “So I now have to worry my Echo is recording everything,” while another expressed their intent to disconnect their device altogether. These reactions highlight the growing unease among users regarding how their data is handled and processed.
As Amazon continues to innovate with Alexa and integrate generative AI features, the upcoming changes to voice recording processing represent a significant shift in user experience. While the company assures users of their commitment to privacy, the discontinuation of the local processing option has sparked discussions about data security and the implications for everyday users. With voices from the community growing louder, it remains to be seen how Amazon will address these concerns moving forward.
