Amazon is killing a feature that lets users of some Echo devices stop Alexa from sending voice recordings to the cloud. As shared on Reddit, Amazon sent out emails to users of affected Echo smart speakers to let them know that the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature will no longer be available starting on March 28, 2025.
In the email to Echo customers, Amazon explained that it decided to stop supporting the feature as the technology company continues to “expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud.”
Echo owners who don’t take action will have their Alexa Settings automatically updated to the “Don’t save recordings” option. Voice recordings will then be sent to the cloud and then deleted once Alexa processes them. All saved voice recordings will also be deleted. Furthermore, voice ID will no longer work, and you will not be able to create another voice ID as long as the “Don’t save recordings” option is turned on.
“The Alexa experience is designed to protect our customers’ privacy and keep their data secure, and that’s not changing,” Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild told The Verge on Friday in a statement. “We’re focusing on the privacy tools and controls that our customers use most and work well with generative AI experiences that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud. Customers can continue to choose from a robust set of tools and controls, including the option to not save their voice recordings at all. We’ll continue learning from customer feedback and building privacy features on their behalf.”
As useful as this soon-to-be-removed feature sounds, there is a good chance the Echo devices you own do not have access to it. As The Verge notes, local processing of voice recordings was only ever available on the Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15, and only for users in the US with their devices set to English.
All of this is, of course, in service of the upcoming AI-powered Alexa+. Technically, the upgrade doesn’t have a release date yet, but March 28 could be it. After all, Amazon said at the reveal event for Alexa+ that the rollout would begin in the next few weeks.
