Amazon is removing a privacy setting from some Echo devices that allowed Alexa voice recordings to be processed locally instead of being sent to the company’s cloud. The change takes effect on March 28 and comes as Amazon expands Alexa with generative AI features under the Alexa+ name.
What Is Changing For Echo Users
Echo users affected by the change will no longer be able to use the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature. Once support ends, Alexa voice recordings will be sent to Amazon’s cloud, with the exception of certain Alexa features like wake word detection.
The change applies to customers who already had “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” enabled on specific Echo smart speakers and displays. According to the source article, Amazon’s email went to customers using the fourth generation Echo Dot, Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15.
The practical shift is simple: local processing will no longer be available for those Alexa voice recordings. Instead, Amazon is moving that processing into what it describes as its secure cloud.
Why Amazon Says It Is Making The Move
Amazon tied the decision directly to generative AI. In the customer email reported by Ars Technica, the company said: “As we continue to expand Alexa’s capabilities with generative AI features that rely on the processing power of Amazon’s secure cloud, we have decided to no longer support this feature,”
That explanation places the Echo change in the broader context of Alexa+. Amazon is rolling out a new version of its voice-controlled AI assistant, now known as Alexa+, and the company says these newer experiences rely on cloud processing power.
For users, that means a privacy-enhancing option is being removed at the same time Amazon is expanding Alexa’s AI capabilities. The source article does not say that every Alexa feature works the same way, but it does make clear that the “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” option is ending for the devices named in Amazon’s email.
The Privacy Tradeoff
The “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature mattered because it gave some Echo users a way to keep more Alexa processing local. With that support ending, the default path for those recordings changes toward Amazon’s cloud infrastructure.
Amazon’s position is that privacy protections remain central to Alexa. In a statement to TechCrunch, the company said, “The Alexa experience is designed to protect our customers’ privacy and keep their data secure, and that’s not changing. 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.”
The issue is not new for Alexa. Consumers and regulators have raised concerns about Alexa’s privacy implications in the past. Amazon also agreed to pay $25 million in a 2023 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over children’s privacy.
What To Watch Next
The timing matters because the Echo privacy change and the Alexa+ rollout are happening together. Amazon is presenting cloud processing as part of the technical foundation for generative AI features, while some users are losing a setting designed to limit what gets sent away from the device.
Based on the source article, the key points are:
- The “Do Not Send Voice Recordings” feature ends on March 28.
- The affected devices named are the fourth generation Echo Dot, Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15.
- Alexa voice recordings will be sent to Amazon’s cloud, except for certain Alexa features like wake word detection.
- Amazon links the change to generative AI features and Alexa+.
- Privacy concerns around Alexa have already drawn attention from consumers and regulators.
The result is a clearer dividing line for Echo users. Alexa+ is being built around cloud-based AI processing, and one local-processing privacy option is being retired as that new version of Alexa arrives.