Discussion: Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: Privacy Concerns and New Features
The new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 introduce privacy concerns with features like Live Rewind and Siri Recap, which capture and transcribe audio without storing it, raising potential misuse of user data. These features are more invasive, capturing and transcribing conversations all day, making it hard to explain to users that the watch is not actually recording continuously.
The new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 introduce privacy concerns with features like Live Rewind and Siri Recap, which capture and transcribe audio without storing it, raising potential misuse of user data. Unlike previous updates, these features are more invasive, capturing and transcribing conversations all day, making it hard to explain to users that the watch is not actually recording continuously.
The Secure Exclave chip and machine learning algorithms enable real-time audio recognition and transcription, but Live Rewind and Siri Recap capture data without storing it, using encryption and Secure Exclave to protect privacy. However, this still raises concerns about constant listening and public perception, especially given Apple's focus on AI and fitness trackers.
Siri Recap uses ambient listening to take high-level notes of your conversations all day, while Live Rewind lets you double-tap at any point on the Watch's digital crown to see a transcript of the last 15 seconds, raising privacy concerns about constant audio capture and transcription.
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Opinion
The new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 introduce privacy concerns with features like Live Rewind and Siri Recap, which capture and transcribe audio without storing it, raising potential misuse of user data.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
Unlike previous updates, these features are more invasive, capturing and transcribing conversations all day, making it hard to explain to users that the watch is not actually recording continuously.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
being captured and written through here, constantly overriding it all day, all the time.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
And then the raw audio is deleted from the phone and from the watch... That's all... a very complex way of being able to make sure you can say... nobody ever has access to that audio... and that it's technically not recording all day.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the Siri recap feature is running all day.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
Other people... who are not opting in to any of this that are... essentially having their conversations captured and summarized in some way and saved for later. That's... That was what was surprising to me. That is what's invasive. That is what is shocking.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the watches are out, this feature... is not yet out, and even when it does show up on the watch, it will be in beta.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the same way a lot of the health stuff that we saw earlier is directly targeting WHOOP and a lot of the screenless fitness tracker market that's emerging so much... A lot of this stuff is also now directly targeting the physical AI companion market... and OpenAI... that are making a lot of headlines lately too.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
The Secure Exclave chip and machine learning algorithms enable real-time audio recognition and transcription
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
Live Rewind and Siri Recap capture data without storing it, using encryption and Secure Exclave to protect privacy
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
However, this still raises concerns about constant listening and public perception, especially given Apple's focus on AI and fitness trackers
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the microphone on the side of the Apple Watch is in fact always... taking in raw audio all the time
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
Secure Exclave is kind of like a sectioned-off piece that doesn't touch any other part of the S11
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the raw audio is always... being captured and written through here, constantly overriding it all day, all the time
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
there is a machine learning algorithm in this Secure Exclave... that essentially acts as a pattern recognition for certain sound signatures
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the way to think about it is that Secure Exclave is kind of like a sectioned-off piece that doesn't touch any other part of the S11
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the raw audio is deleted from the phone and from the watch
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
that's all... a very complex way of being able to make sure you can say... nobody ever has access to that audio... and that it's technically not recording all day
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the Apple Watch both... is taking notes for you all day on things that you say and can constantly recall the last 15 seconds and transcribe it for you, but is also not recording all the time
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the Siri recap feature is running all day
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
Siri Recap uses ambient listening to take high-level notes of your conversations all day, while Live Rewind lets you double-tap at any point on the Watch's digital crown to see a transcript of the last 15 seconds, raising privacy concerns about constant audio capture and transcription.
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the microphone on the side of the Apple Watch is in fact always taking in raw audio all the time
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the raw audio is always being captured and written through here, constantly overriding it all day, all the time
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the Secure Exclave is kind of like a sectioned-off piece that doesn't touch any other part of the S11
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the microphone is taking in audio all day, but sometimes it'll hear something that sounds like a conversation
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
Other people... who are not opting in to any of this that are essentially having their conversations captured and summarized in some way and saved for later
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
That is what's invasive. That is what is shocking
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the watches are out, this feature is not yet out, and even when it does show up on the watch, it will be in beta
Independent evidence assessment is pending.
unverified
Opinion
the raw audio is deleted from the phone and from the watch...
Evidence search unavailable. Claims remain unverified; background research can retry.
research-failed
Opinion
A lot of this stuff is also now directly targeting the physical AI companion market... and OpenAI... that are making a lot of headlines lately too
Evidence search unavailable. Claims remain unverified; background research can retry.
Marques Brownlee
