Apple Watch Series 12 Siri Recap listens all day, but Apple can't access the audio

Your Apple Watch Series 12 will continuously listen to your conversations, but Apple claims it's locked out of the audio. Here's how the new hardware isolation works.

Apple Watch Series 12 with Apple Intelligence The new Audio Intelligence features include Siri Recap , which summarizes conversations, and Live Rewind, which retrieves the preceding 15 seconds as text. Automatic Shazam recognition and alerts for sounds such as alarms, sirens, and doorbells use the same protected system.

Because Siri Recap operates without warning other speakers, the features raise questions about what an Apple Watch hears, where the audio goes, and whether anyone could retrieve it. Apple's September privacy paper describes an S11 component called the Secure Exclave as the answer.